Of Humans And Hybrids
by Sutsuki-chan
Summary: Remember that mission Vegeta was on when his planet blew up? Little did he know that one vengeful survivor from that mission would nearly lead to the eradication of the last of the Saiyans fifty years later. Set before GT: TP, GB
1. Threat to a Peaceful Planet

All right, everybody! Time for another one! This one's been coming along steadily for a couple years, and now that SPAL is done and over with, I can share this with all of you! So, sit back, relax, maybe grab some popcorn… whatever, just enjoy!

Chapter 1: Threat to a Peaceful Planet

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, though I wish I did. I do however own Shinri. So back off! He's mine… yes; all mine… hee hee hee…

Year 789…

"Saiyan… I'm coming for you…"

Somewhere in the deep nothingness of space, a lone space pod zoomed through the blackness toward its destination. It held just one passenger; one resentful, bitter passenger with but one goal.

"I'll hunt you down and eradicate all that you hold dear… all those you love… just as you have destroyed all that I loved. Then I'll destroy _you_…"

The unknown being strode smoothly over to the window overlooking the beautiful little blue planet the ship was about to land on.

"So this is where you've been hiding… Well you can't hide from me anymore. I'm going to make you pay for what you've done!"

The life form closed its eyes, revisiting the memory of it's horrible past.

"_Shinri, get out of here now!"_

"_Why, Mama? What's wrong?"_

"_Shinri, do what your mother says! Hurry, there's not much time!"_

"_Papa…"_

"_GO! Hide in the house, and don't come out no matter what you may hear!" Shinri's father yelled frantically, practically shoving his son._

"_Shinri… Just know that whatever may happen, we love you." His mother coaxed, tears welling up in her fragile amethyst eyes._

"_Mama…"_

"_Go…" She whispered, planting one last tender kiss on his forehead and running her hand smoothly through his golden-brown hair. Shinri was in utter shock, and stayed rooted to the spot for a moment before turning into a dead sprint, not daring to look back. He wove through the large trees and shrubbery, only able to hear screams, explosions, and the faint, eerie sound of someone laughing._

_Finally reaching his little house, Shinri dashed inside and bolted the door shut. He leaned up against it to catch his breath, his eyes squeezed shut. Slowly, he stumbled to the window and caught sight of a dark, shadowy figure from which the blasts came from._

"_HE'S the one who's been wrecking our village?!?" The young boy muttered, his eyes fixed upon the small approaching figure. He looked barely older than Shinri himself, but was of a different race, from another world. His skin was light and pale, his jet black hair raised up to the sky. And wrapped neatly around his waist was a long, brown, furry thing that Shinri had never seen before. Then he watched in horror as the thing moved and unraveled itself from around its owner. It was actually attached to him… like a fifth limb!_

_Shinri stared; transfixed on the miniscule terror before realizing it was coming right toward him. He scrambled away from the window and ran out the back door in hopes of finding some help. He eventually spotted someone in a small clearing, and hurried over to see if he could help._

"_Darn Saiyans…" The man was muttering. "Think they own the universe or something…" Shinri could see the man was fairly old, but extremely fit for his age. He had muscular arms and legs, and displayed a little auburn beard on his chin._

"_Saiyans…?" Shinri repeated. Was that what that thing was called? "Uh… Excuse me! Can you help me?"_

"_Sorry, kid. It's every Tanakian for himself!" The man answered gruffly. "Besides, I don't have time for babysitting! There are a couple space pods back there, but they're so old. I don't know if they even work." He pointed a thumb at two small pods behind him. Both looked worn and dirty, and there was plant growth all over them, rooting them to the ground._

"_Oh, no problem! My dad helps build these things, and he taught me all about them!" Shinri exclaimed, hurrying over to the pods. Looking each one over inside and out, he finally concluded, "Yeah, they're pretty old, but they should still work! I just need to make a few little adjustments…"_

"_Hmm… What's your name, kid?"_

"_Shinri!" He answered quickly without looking up from his work._

"_Well Shinri, the name's Michio! And I take back what I said about you being a baby."_

"_No problem. I get that all the time. I'm only ten, you know."_

"_Really…"_

"_Done!" Shinri exclaimed, stepping back to admire his work. "Now we just need to lift them out of here…" He held up his palms and concentrated his energy on the two objects in front of him. His hands started glowing with a dim green light, but soon faded. "I can't do it…" Shinri sighed._

"_What?!? You mean a kid your age can't do a simple lifting technique?" Michio gaped._

_Shinri nodded sadly. "I know. My Ryoku power is really low. My dad has been trying to teach me, but I just can't get it!"_

"_Do you want to learn?" Michio asked._

"_Of course! More than anything! My father is ashamed to have such a weak son. I want to get stronger and make him proud!"_

_Michio thought for a moment. "Well Shinri, I'll make a deal with you. If you agree to come with me off Tanaka and become my pupil, then I'll train you to have more Ryoku than you have ever imagined possible!"_

"_Really? You can do that?" Shinri asked anxiously._

"_Of course! I'm an expert after all!"_

"_Oh, thank you so much, Michio-sensei!" Shinri cheered, but was soon cut off by an explosion from the approaching 'Saiyan'._

_Michio used his Ryoku to lift the pods out of the ground, and set them down in front of them. Then the two quickly boarded their pods, and blasted off into space. Shinri hesitantly looked back at the destruction one last time, and mumbled to himself, "Mama… Papa… I will make you proud. Just promise me you'll be okay without me. I'll come back for you someday."_

The Tanakian opened his eyes once again, ending the memory. And he _had_ come back. He had returned to Tanaka ten years later, only to find everything destroyed. His home had been reduced to rubble, and his mother and father were nowhere to be found. In fact, it seemed no Tanakians had lived on it for years. They had all been wiped out.

_He stared at the barren wasteland that had once been his home. Michio had taught him so much… he had been trained to be a warrior… and it had all been in vain. He had returned to see that while he was training, his home planet had been cleansed of all native life, leaving it to wither and die. Filled with rage, Shinri set his sights on the home planet of the Saiyans, in hopes of extracting his revenge there. But he soon learned the planet had already been destroyed, and almost all its inhabitants presumably wiped out._

He glared down at the planet before him. Fifty years… it had been fifty long, harsh years since the destruction of his home. Now he would get his chance for revenge. Michio was getting on in his years, and probably wouldn't be around much longer. He only hoped that his sensei's strong spirit would keep him going for their final mission. His instructions were clear.

Shinri's death would mark the end of his race forever, and he knew it well, but there was one thing he knew would put his mind at ease and his soul at rest; he had to kill the one who had destroyed his family and friends. And now that he had located the planet where the Saiyan resided, he planned to do just that.

He set the controls on his ship to land on the planet immediately.

"No longer am I the innocent little boy called Shinri…" He muttered, tracing the letters of his old name in the air as the ship rapidly descended. His finger left fiery green marks floating in the air, spelling out 'Shinri'. Then with one swift swipe, he wiped the letters away, and replaced them with new ones.

K-E-S-S-H-I-N

* * *

High above the planet's surface, the guardian, Dende, was meditating in his throne room when he sensed a great disturbance in the earth's balance.

"Popo! Come quick!" The young Namekian suddenly shouted.

"What is it, Dende?!" Mr. Popo cried as he burst into the dimly lit room.

"Do you feel that?" Dende asked mysteriously, gazing off into nothingness.

"Feel what?" Mr. Popo looked around confusedly.

"I sense something unusual just appeared on Earth. I don't like it, Popo." The kami sighed.

"Are you saying that there's evil approaching, Dende?" Mr. Popo asked nervously.

"I don't know, Popo. I hope I'm wrong, I really do."

"Well, in case you _are_ right, then we must not hesitate to act!" Popo exclaimed.

"Right!" Dende nodded, running out of his throne room and down to the edge of the lookout. _'Piccolo! Can you hear me? It's Dende!'_ He sent out the thought telepathically.

'_What is it, Dende?'_ Responded the gruff voice of the older Namekian.

'_Listen, I need you to find Goku and bring him to me! It's an emergency! Can you do that?'_

'_Hmph… Sure thing.'_ Piccolo smirked to himself. '_I know just where to find him.' _With that, he flew off from his training in the mountains and headed south for a small farming village.

* * *

In this village lived many hard-working families that spent every day working their land for their own survival. It was planting season, and that meant an especially large amount of work for the people of this particular village. Well, it _usually_ meant that anyway. This small village was home to a young boy named Uub, who before five years ago had never expected much change in his life. But on that faithful day he competed in the 28th Tenkaichi Budoukai tournament, he was put up against the toughest fighter in the world, Son Goku. Right in the middle of their match, Goku had declared that Uub had a special gift for fighting, and that he wanted to train him to control his massive amount of hidden power. Since then, Goku had spent every day living in Uub's village helping with the farm work and training Uub in their spare time.

"Woo-hoo! This is great! I could do this all day!!" Goku shouted as he dashed back and forth through the outstretched fields of rich soil, pushing a plow that was usually pulled by a mule. The farmers simply stood to the side, staring in awe at the man's strength and speed. Uub watched with amusement and chuckled at his mentor's simplicity. When he was finished plowing the entire field, Goku flew the wooden plow back to the stunned men, and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead.

"Heh… That was fun! When do we get to do that again?" He asked anxiously.

"Hah hah! Goku, we only have to plow the field once a year in order to plant the seeds." Uub laughed, striding over to his sensei.

"Oh. Okay then! Want to go train now, Uub?"

"Yeah!" The 15-year-old turned to one of the farmers. "Can I, Father?"

"Sure, Uub. Just be back by supper time!" The man laughed heartily.

"All right!" Goku shouted excitedly, patting his stomach. "I can't wait! Well, let's go, Uub!"

"Kay!" Uub shouted with just as much enthusiasm. The two began to head toward their usual training spot some ten miles west of the village. But they hadn't gone so much as two miles when Goku felt a familiar ki speeding towards them.

"Hey, Uub! Do you sense that?" Goku called, slowing to a halt in midair. He never missed a chance to test his pupil's skills.

"Hmm?" Uub stopped also, and turned to face the direction Goku was facing. "Yeah! Who is it?"

"An old friend of mine!" Goku grinned just as the dark outline of Piccolo appeared on the horizon.

* * *

All right!! How's that for an opener? If you like, you know what to do! You guessed it… REVIEW!! Please?

Oh, and if you're interested, I've made this next little section to explain what all the names and stuff mean.

Kesshin: Literally means 'determination' or 'resolution'. Symbolizes Kesshin's strong will to accomplish his revenge.

Michio: Means 'man with strength of three thousand'. I picked this name because Michio is strong physically as well as mentally. It seemed like a good name for Shinri's all-powerful teacher.

Ryoku: Means 'power' or 'mental power'. This is the type of psychic energy Takanians use to lift heavy objects, hover and fly around, and even create illusions and mind tricks. Think of it as the Tanakian form of Saiyan 'ki'.

Shinri: Means 'psychic' or something close to it. Enough said.

Tanakian: Comes from the Japanese name 'Tanaka' which means 'dweller'. Name of Shinri's race, Tanaka being the planet where he was born.

The Tanakian race is believed to be one of the first races to evolve in the beginning of time. Over the centuries, they developed special psychic powers through years of daily meditation to aid them in everyday life. Most Tanakians aren't very strong physically, but many have awesome psychic abilities that allow them to move and reshape huge landmasses. Tanakians often have contests to put their powers to the test. It is believed that this used to be a way for primitive Tanakians to settle disputes and choose leaders. The climate on Tanaka is usually hot and humid with frequent rainfall. The temperature ranges from 80˚-130˚ Fahrenheit. There is massive, blue-colored plant growth everywhere, making Tanaka a forest planet. All Tanakians have light blue skin to blend in with their surroundings, and most have deep purple eyes. Their hair is golden-brown, and usually smooth. Tanakians usually live about 200 years, so it takes them twice as long to age as it does a human. Therefore, since Shinri is 10 years old in the beginning of the story, he would have the body structure similar to that of a 5-year-old human. That way, when he arrives on Earth 50 years later he would be 60, but only look 30.


	2. The Beginnings of Revenge

Chapter 2: The Beginnings of Revenge

The Tanakian overlooked the view in front of him. Yes, this was the perfect spot to begin phase one of his plan of vengeance. He had perched himself atop the tallest point on the planet, a colossal landmass jutting out of the surface that he had never seen before. It was astounding; he could see across the entire continent from here. He had heard of such geography. They were called 'mountains'. If there were any of these on Tanaka, they wouldn't have been seen due to the mass amount of plant growth. Tanaka…

"Enough!" Kesshin muttered to himself harshly. "No use living in a dead past…" He had to be hard on himself for having such feeble emotions. Showing weakness was something he no longer tolerated, for Michio had taught him that way.

Kesshin then suddenly outstretched his hands to his sides, and closed his eyes. He concentrated on every single human on the planet, envisioning them all as one big life form. The technique was simple, but never before had he attempted one this widespread. It would have to work the first time. If he failed, the humans would suspect something, and then his scheme would be up. The Saiyans would hunt him down, and that would be the end. Trying not to pressure himself too much, Kesshin inhaled deeply and cleared his mind of all but the task at hand. He was going to first make the entire human race believe the Saiyans were their enemies. Of course, it was almost impossible for this technique to fully work. Humans who had close ties with any Saiyan would probably not be affected at all. But that number he knew would be very low, and thus not much of a threat. He slowly reopened his eyes and began.

"People of the planet Earth, hear me!" He called out telepathically to all who would open their ears to him. "Your planet has lived in peace for years, but that peace will not last long if you fail to recognize the threat that could mean your destruction! For many years now, your planet has been inhabited by a demon race known as 'Saiyans'! These creatures live among you, look like you and act like you. The only difference is their incomparable strength and power! You need not fear me, for I only wish to help preserve your beautiful planet! I shall assist you in ending this threat for good! O People of Earth, rise now to do your duty and protect your homes, your families! Rise now and take them down!!"

After a moment of complete and utter silence, Kesshin slowly lowered his arms again and scanned the power level of the humans. As expected, they were weak. But there were so many of them, and Earthlings were known to be quite cunning. He knew putting his faith into these people was very risky, but they were his only leads as to where the Saiyans were hiding. Surely there were a few semi-intelligent beings on this mudball that could supply him with the information he required. He simply needed to know where the Saiyans resided, and then he would have his way with them. They would be like insects at his feet, killed off one by one with very little effort on his part. But until then, all the Tanakian could do was wait.

* * *

After being led to the lookout by Piccolo, Goku and Uub had been informed about the strange presence Dende had felt. Of course being who he was, Goku became excited instead of fearful, and was anxious to meet the invader.

"Goku, please try to be serious!" Dende reminded the Saiyan for the umpteenth time.

"Oh, right! Sorry, Dende." Goku grinned. "It's just that I really hope this guy has a decent fighting power, because I haven't been this excited about a new opponent in years!"

"I know, Goku. But like I've been telling you, we know nothing about this guy, or his intentions. There has to be a reason he came here."

"Well, why don't I just find him and ask him?" Goku suggested.

"That's the problem." Piccolo interjected. "We can't tell where he is at the moment. He's masked his energy signal."

"Huh… I see." Goku scratched his chin. "If his energy is masked to feel like that of a regular human's, it's almost impossible to tell where this guy is."

"Exactly." Piccolo sighed.

"Hey, Uub!" Goku called to his pupil, who was sitting at the edge of the lookout, letting his feet dangle over the side.

"Yeah?" Uub responded, quickly standing up.

"I'd like you to stay here with Piccolo and Dende until I get a few things sorted out, okay?"

"Um… okay…" Uub responded.

"What do you mean get a few things sorted out?" Dende questioned.

"Well, I haven't been home in a few years, and I thought it would be a nice surprise for my family if I went to visit them!" Goku replied as cheerfully as ever.

"Honestly, Goku!! What's more important, your vacation schedule or the safety of the earth?!" Piccolo practically roared.

"Okay, okay!!" Goku waved his hands defensively. "I just thought that since we don't have any information on this guy, I could catch up with my family until we find out more. I promise, I'll stay alert and tell you right away if anything unusual happens. And as for you, Uub…" He put a hand on his pupil's shoulder. "I need to know that you'll be ready for action, should there be a need. If anything happens, Piccolo and Dende here will tell you what to do."

"Okay, Goku…" Uub replied hesitantly.

Dende sighed heavily. "Goku, sometimes I worry that this carefree attitude of yours will be the end of you."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Goku waved as he headed toward the edge of the lookout. "Well, see you!" And with that, he leapt off the side and disappeared into the clouds below.

"Just be careful, Goku." Piccolo muttered.

* * *

That morning, the sun had shone brightly just as it always had. No one would have ever suspected anything to go wrong on this seemingly perfect day. But as everyone knows, looks can be deceiving.

For Son Pan, the day started out like any other. She got up late, threw on the nearest clean shirt and pair of pants, scarfed down a couple pieces of toast before flying out the door, and was nearly tardy.

"Morning, Akina!" Pan panted as she entered her classroom. She took her usual seat next to her blonde-haired friend, and began her usual rant about her boring weekend. "And so then, my mom was all like, 'Pan, why don't you take up a hobby?' And I was like… Akina?" Pan turned to see her friend hadn't even seemed to take notice of her. She was staring blankly out the window. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Hey Akina, did you understand Mr. Okawa's lecture on 'industrial progress in the 6th century' last Friday?"

Both girls turned to meet the face of a tall, red-headed girl in their grade.

"Oh hey, Kaiya." Akina smiled.

"Morning, Kaiya!" Pan greeted. "How was your…" But her two friends had already started an in-depth discussion on Pan's least favorite subject; history. _'Was it something I said? Why are my friends ignoring me?'_

The rest of the day didn't get much better. Her friends wouldn't even so much as glance her way. When they saw her coming, they would stray slowly to the opposite side of the hallway. Her teachers even seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder! Even when she actually knew the answers to Ms. Toya's algebra questions, she was never called on. And she got in trouble several times for daydreaming that her teachers had previously not seemed to mind about. She sat alone at lunch, miserably listening to the anxious whispers among her classmates. They didn't even care to keep their voices down. By the time the day was done and she was flying dejectedly home, Pan was badly wondering what she had done to deserve such treatment. She stumbled in her front door, her eyes glued to the ground.

"Oh hi, Pan. I didn't hear you come in." Her mother smiled, arms full of clean and folded laundry. "How was school?"

"It sucked…" Pan grumbled, stomping past toward her room.

"Bad day?" Videl called after her daughter. The only response was the sound of a slammed door.

Not five minutes later, Goten staggered into the house, a look of extreme misery on his face.

"SHE… DUMPED… ME!!" He cried, collapsing face first on the couch. "I no longer have reason to live!" he said through muffled sobs.

Videl hurriedly set down her laundry and comforted him as best she could.

"She didn't even say 'let's just be friends' or anything! She started telling me how I wasn't good enough for her! She thinks I only like her because she's pretty, which isn't true at all! I mean, she IS really gorgeous, but… oh, I don't even know what it is I did that upset her!!" he exclaimed, once again breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.

"What's wrong with him?" Gohan asked, having just arrived home from work.

"He got dumped…" Videl whispered. "And it didn't sound too pleasant at all."

"Oh, too bad…"

Goten howled something unintelligible into the pillows.

"And it sounds like Pan didn't have such a good day either." Videl continued, glancing back to see if Pan had come out of her room yet.

"I guess it's just a bad day for all of us. You know that promotion I was about to get? Forget about it. The boss gave it to that new guy instead. And he isn't even that experienced yet!"

"Oh kami… nothing seems to be going right for us today, huh?" She looked from her husband to brother-in-law, neither of which showed signs of mentioning any good news for the day. So Videl decided to share hers. "Well, here's something that'll cheer everyone up. Goku's back!"

"Dad…?" Gohan asked slowly. Even with a brain of Gohan's capacity, it took a few seconds to fully register such unexpected news as this.

"He what?!?" Goten exclaimed, his girlfriend dilemma all but forgotten, and face completely tear-free. "Dad's back? Where?! Where is he?!?"

Videl beamed at the two excited half-Saiyans. "Chi-Chi called me earlier to tell you. He's with her right now back at your house!"

"All right!!!" Goten shouted, bouncing to his feet and rushing out the door. "My dad's back! He's come back! WOOHOO!!!" And with that, he zoomed off for home in the eastern mountains.

"Aren't you going too?" Videl asked, resuming her laundry carrying.

"Oh, I will… I just have to get some work done first."

"On an occasion such as this?!" Videl practically laughed. "Gohan, you haven't seen your father in over five years, and you won't even go visit him?"

"Look, Videl. I just have to get some things done first. It's not that I don't want to see my father, he just came at a very inconvenient time!" He said sternly. Then he sighed, picked up his briefcase, and headed into his office. Videl was taken aback. Her husband was never this cold. She wanted to blame it on his inability to cope with failure well. He had, after all, been giving every extra effort he could think of to earn that promotion. Had Videl known that a vengeful alien was currently flying in the same direction as her brother-in-law, she would have given these strange happenings a bit more thought.

* * *

Sutsuki: Yayness!! Now for all you who liked it, please direct your attention to that little purple button in the corner... that's right, review!!


	3. One Down

Sutsuki: Hey everybody! Just dropping a quick hello and another plead for reviews. So I'll just leave you lucky folks to your reading!

Chapter 3: One Down

When Goku had landed smoothly in front of his house, he looked about and sighed in satisfaction. The place hadn't changed a bit. He had expected a warm and happy reunion with his wife.

What he got was a smart slap on the cheek, followed by a, "Oh, so you think you can just fly off and leave me for five whole years, and then come back without warning, expecting me to be happy to see you?!"

However, this was closely followed by a, "Oh Goku, I can never stay mad at you! I'm just glad you're home!"

And it was later followed, as expected, by a huge dinner.

When Goten had arrived, he experienced a similar ritual, although it included things like, "And just where were you all day, mister?" quickly followed by, "Come in, your father just got back!" with an additional, "Oh, that city girl wasn't good enough for you anyway!"

* * *

That night…

Goku suddenly found himself lying awake in his bed next to his wife. Normally he slept like a log, but something was troubling him that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He kept his eyes closed, wishing for peaceful sleep to return to him, but gave up after ten minutes. He was still uneasy. The feeling was not, however, unfamiliar. Many times before, this odd sensation had crept up on him when something was about to happen. He didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, but had to go with his gut feeling, knowing it was almost always right.

He decided to take a walk around his house just to reassure himself that everything was all right. He had just entered the kitchen when he heard a noise outside. Goku slowly opened the door and peered around in the darkness. Once his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, he ventured out into the open and headed in the direction the noise had come from. It had sounded like a twig snapping, or a rustle in the bushes. When he dug around through the brush, a squirrel hopped out of the branches above and scattered down the side of a tree.

"Well, hello there!" Goku grinned. "It's a little late to be out looking for food, isn't it? Are you the one who's been making all that noise?" The squirrel stared at him for a moment, then scattered back up into the branches, as if startled by something. "I wonder what got him so worked up…" Goku muttered, regaining his posture- and then it happened.

* * *

Kesshin hovered over the dome-shaped structure, wondering how any Saiyan could live here. They were all blood-thirsty monsters! And yet, there were several inhabiting this peaceful little planet and blending right in. It was a wonder these 'earthlings' had not yet been wiped out completely by the creatures; let alone accepted them into their society. What a simple and pathetic species, and so easy to manipulate. They lived on one of the most beautiful planets in the cosmos, but it had yet to be overtaken by a more dominant race. But wasn't that what Saiyans did?

The beasts had probably been planning the annihilation of these 'humans' for some time anyway. But the humans seemed virtually harmless! Kesshin almost felt sorry for them. They had every right to live on their own planet in peace. He could not let it be overtaken… as Tanaka had been. That was what he was doing. He had simply made the humans realize the danger they were in so they could do something to prevent it. That way, the Saiyans would be brought out of hiding, and Kesshin could personally deal with every last one.

And that started now. He had already found the first of what could be hundreds of Saiyan-infested homes. His plan of attack was very clear. He was to lure out the one most threatening, and deal with him first. The rest would soon follow, like rats into a trap. He tried to land softly on the ground, but accidentally landed on a dead twig, and his weight caused it to snap loudly. Kesshin froze and quickly scanned around the premises, only to find (to his sheer delight) his designated target was walking right into his ambush.

Catching sight of the approaching Saiyan, Kesshin shot like a bullet into the trees so as not to be seen. But where he had landed in the branches appeared to be the home of a small furry animal, which was sent chattering frightfully down the tree. The Saiyan seemed to take interest in it, and strangely enough began talking to it like an old friend.

'_This might be my only chance…'_ Kesshin thought, and silently hovered down right behind his unwary victim. He reached down the neck of his cloak and pulled out a little glass phial that was hooked onto a chain around his neck. Detaching it from the chain, Kesshin poised himself to make his move. How easy this seemed! Too easy…

But then the furry thing seemed to take notice to Kesshin, and scrambled wildly back up to its nest.

"I wonder what got him so worked up…" The Saiyan muttered, straightening up.

'_Oh no! He senses my presence!'_ Kesshin thought frantically as the Saiyan began to turn around. _'Well, it's now or never!'_ He quickly unscrewed the lid of the glass phial, causing a small, yet blinding light to shoot out and shine upon the back of the Saiyan's head. His eyes widened until they could become no bigger, and the pupils disappeared. His jaw dropped open a bit, but no sound came out. Then it seemed as though the light itself was sucked back into the phial, and Kesshin quickly capped it. The Saiyan fell limply to the ground, as though dead. The process was quick and silent, but Kesshin feared someone may have seen the flash of light.

"It is done, Saiyan." He muttered with a smirk, admiring the phial before hooking it back onto its chain. "But don't worry. You won't be alone in there for long." And as silent as a cat, he flew off into the night sky.

* * *

"DAD!!" Goten awoke with a start. He sat up in his dark bedroom breathing heavily. As he looked around his dark room, he suddenly got the feeling that something was very wrong. He leaped out of bed and snuck quickly up to his parents' room. His mother was there, sleeping soundly, but his father was nowhere to be found. Goten tried the kitchen, but he was not there either. He was about to check the living room when he saw a small flash of light coming from outside the kitchen window. He dashed outside just in time to see a shadowy cloaked figure take off from the ground and glide swiftly away. Looking where the 'thing' had been, he saw his father's body, barely distinguishable in the soft starlight.

"Dad!" Goten called, running over to his father's side. He shook him, but there was no response. "What happened?! Wake up! Dad!!" Growing frantic, he placed two fingers on the side of his father's neck, and pulled them back after a few seconds breathing a sigh of relief. "Well, there's a pulse, so he's… alive, at the very least…" He stood up again, scanning the sky. "Man… What was that thing?"

"Goten, what's going on?" A fatigued voice called worriedly from behind him. Goten whirled around to see his frenetic cries had awakened his mother.

"Mother! What… are you doing up…?" He stuttered, quickly plastering on a fake grin. The last thing Chi-Chi needed was to see her husband in a coma state a mere ten hours after his abrupt return.

"I heard you yelling, and came to see if you were alright, but you weren't in your room. And I can't seem to find your father either. Have you seen him?"

"Uh…" Goten droned, glancing down behind him at Goku's motionless body. Chi-Chi suddenly caught sight of the large heap on the ground.

"What's that…?" She thought aloud, approaching it. Once she was about five feet away, her eyes widened as they fixed upon the pale face of her husband.

"He… won't wake up…" Goten informed her nervously, scratching the back of his head. _'Oh man… Things are about to get ugly…'

* * *

_

Sutsuki: Oh no, poor Goten! I mean, Goku has it bad too and all, but at least he won't have to hear what comes next from Chi-Chi. What's to happen now that everyone's favorite Saiyan is down and out?! Who will be Kesshin's next victim?! Make your guesses and stay tuned for the next installment of OHAH!!

And review!!


	4. Corporation Corruption

Sutsuki: Hey again, everybody! Big day for me, graduation and all, but I couldn't help but drop you another chapter first. You can thank me in your reviews (right?). So enjoy!

Oh, and for certain plot events to fit, Gohan's family does NOT live next door to Chi-Chi on Mt. Paozu.

Chapter 4: Corporation Corruption

"Okay, Goten. Yes, I understand. I'll be over as soon as I can. Oh, and it'd be better if you just don't even _try_ to calm Mom down. All right, bye." Gohan hung up the phone and turned to his wife.

"What is it, Gohan?" Videl asked.

"There's been… an incident…"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain everything later. Take Pan and drive down to Capsule Corp. Everyone's meeting there. I need to go to my father's house first, and then I'll meet you there." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before dashing out the door.

"What's going on, Mama?" Pan asked, entering the room. Videl heaved a sigh.

"Pan, we're going to take a little road trip, okay?"

"Oh cool, like a vacation! That's good, because I _really_ need some time away from school. Where are we going? A beach? An island maybe?"

Videl chuckled. "No, honey. We're just going to Capsule Corp."

"_Capsule Corp_…?" Pan wrinkled her nose as if she had caught a whiff of something fowl. "Why there?"

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure." Videl sighed before nudging her daughter upstairs to get dressed.

During the entire car ride, Pan stared silently out the window. Capsule Corp… that only brought one name to mind… Trunks. Not that she _liked_ him or anything. Sure, she had always found him good-looking. She even shamefully admitted to herself that she had once had a small childish crush on him back when she was seven. But things were different now. Now she was ten, and thus much more mature when it came to boys. He was too old for her anyway…

* * *

"Well, my tests are complete." Bulma announced, taking off her glasses and rubbing the lenses on her shirt. She had been at this for three hours at least, and was fully exhausted. Goku's body had been placed on an examination table, where it had been hooked up to countless wires and analyzers, tracking and evaluating every bodily function. Bulma wasn't used to working with such a large and anxious audience watching her every move. Besides her own family, she now had the entire Son family present, as well as Uub, who had flown over as soon as he had heard the news from Piccolo. 

"And?!? What's wrong with him? What's happened to my Goku?!?" Chi-Chi demanded impatiently. She had to be restrained by both her sons to keep from attacking someone or something.

"I just said I'm done with my tests. I didn't say I had answers." Bulma sighed, sitting down at her desk and reviewing the numbers. "As far as I can tell, he hasn't been physically harmed in any way. He hasn't got a scratch on him. His pulse seems a little slow, but nonetheless regular."

"Not to mention his ki level is perfectly normal- well, for him, anyway…" Gohan added.

Bulma nodded. "The only thing I find odd is the fact that his brain barely seems to be functioning at all."

"Hah… Who knew he even had one…" Vegeta muttered from one corner of the room.

"Oh, Vegeta! Couldn't you at least pretend to care?" Bulma sighed with aggravation.

"If Kakarot has gotten himself into trouble again, it's his own fault, and none of my concern." He declared, turning away.

"Anyway…" Bulma continued, deciding to ignore the prince's last comment. "I don't want to make any false assumptions, but for all we know he could have somehow been knocked into a coma. His body is in a vegetative state, incapable of any response to external stimuli."

"He's a vegetable?!" Chi-Chi nearly fainted.

"So what are we supposed to do?" inquired Goten, now fully supporting his mother.

"I'm not sure. I'd like to keep Goku here so I could run a few more tests later." Bulma responded. "Until I have more results, I'm afraid there's not much we can do. You're all welcome to stick around for the night."

"Thanks, Bulma." Gohan smiled appreciatively, and led his family out of the room.

Pan stayed behind, her eyes still transfixed on her grandfather's body. She didn't understand. For the last five years she had held on to the promise Goku had given her that day at the Tenkaichi Budoukai right before he left with Uub. He had promised they would see each other again. Now that he was back… It just wasn't fair!

"You okay, Pan?"

Pan turned to meet a pair of inquisitive and concerned blue eyes surrounded by soft, lavender-colored bangs.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Trunks. I'm just worried about my grandpa."

"Pan, if there's one thing I've learned about Goku, it's this; he always seems to find a way out of even the worst situations, under the most hopeless of circumstances. When he's down, and you've all but counted him out, he always comes back stronger than ever. That's just the kind of person he is."

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Of course he will. I'm sure of it." Trunks smiled.

"Thanks, Trunks." She smiled back, and with a bit of hesitation, gave him a big hug around his waist. His eyes widened in surprise at her gesture, but he smiled and hugged back. Then, with his arm resting comfortingly around her shoulder, he led her into the main building and up to the guest rooms.

* * *

It was now well past sundown. Most of the Capsule Corp employees had called it a day, with the exception of Bulma Briefs. She had been going back and forth from her everyday duties as head chairwoman to Goku's unexplainable condition. Not to mention putting her daughter to bed. 

While his mate hurried around taking care of all these things, Vegeta relaxed in his favorite comfy chair lost in some boring old news story about a local baggage handler's strike. If this was their top story, there was obviously nothing else worth hearing. He was sick of the peace. It had been so long since his last life-threatening battle, he thought he would snap. At that moment, he would have liked nothing more than for some super-strong alien to show up and break the stillness.

Just then, Bulma stumbled through the door, looking nothing short of exhausted. Vegeta took no notice.

"What took you so long?" he mumbled, not looking away from the TV.

Bulma stared, open-mouthed at him with her hands on her hips. He actually had the _gall_ to say that?!

"Oh, and what have you been doing all day, _your majesty_?"

Vegeta let a small 'hmph' escape his throat and refused to answer. But Bulma wouldn't take 'hmph' as an answer, and stomped in front of the TV.

"Move, woman…" he muttered.

"I don't think so. I'm fed up with you sitting around acting like the universe revolves around you, while I run around taking care of the business, meals, and kids! What use _are_ you around here?!?"

Vegeta was still trying to see around her, despite her rants. Getting overly fed up, Bulma snatched the remote from his fingertips and switched the TV off. The Saiyan prince was clearly annoyed by the disturbance, but refused to move and just stared at her.

"Answer me, Vegeta! What do _you_ do around here that's helpful?!"

"Leave me alone, woman…" he grumbled.

"Do you even care about what's happened to Goku?"

"No."

"Well, you could at least… act like it!!"

Vegeta sighed and stood up to his full height. Though he was still shorter, his powerful stance was enough to compensate.

"Woman, I couldn't care less what happened to Kakarot, but I'm not about to act like I do just for your sake. Now, I would strongly advise you not to tick me off too much."

It was at this particular moment that one of Bulma's employees walked in, and received infuriated looks from both of them.

"Oh, uh… apologies for interrupting, Madam President, but they need you down in Lab D immediately. Apparently, some idiot thought he could invent a capsule that could contain another capsule, and it backfired."

Bulma sighed heavily. "Alright, I'm coming." She hurried out the door without another word to her husband. The employee in the white lab coat stayed behind.

"Can I get you anything so long as I'm here, sir?" He smiled nervously at Vegeta: a lamb in the wolf's den.

"Hmph…" Vegeta grunted. And then after a short silence, he added, "Coffee… black."

The man stood there for a moment, looking perplexed.

"Did I stutter?" Vegeta said with the utmost sarcasm. "I said I want coffee. Why are you still standing there like an idiot?"

"Oh! Um… of course, sir!" The little man stumbled as he hurried out of the room.

"Hmph… and they call themselves geniuses…" Vegeta slouched back into his chair and rubbed his temples, reviewing Bulma's words. While it was entirely true he neither knew nor cared what Kakarot had gotten himself into, there was something that was troubling him that he couldn't quite put his finger on. That feeling had been there for nearly two days, nagging at him constantly. It was as though he felt something was going to happen, but couldn't possibly tell just what it was.

After pondering this for a few minutes, the employee returned, steaming coffee mug in hand.

"H- here you are, sir! Black, just as you wanted!" He hastily handed it to Vegeta, and stepped back. He watched Vegeta look over his drink cautiously, swirling it around and wafting the aroma. But one annoyed glare from the prince sent the little man scurrying away again.

"Hmph…" Vegeta said, finally taking a huge gulp, draining half the mug. Then he made a sour face and muttered, "Too bitter…"

His eyes wandered a bit before resting on a small picture frame on the side table next to him. It was a vacation shot from about eighteen years ago. He picked it up and peered at it with a sort of bored curiosity. His 5-year-old son was standing there triumphantly, a fishing pole in one hand and a huge fish almost as big as the boy dangling from the line in his other hand. His mother was at his side, smiling proudly. Off to the side, his in-laws were beaming widely, as always. Behind them, the sun shone brightly and the lake glimmered under its rays. They all looked so happy and carefree. Vegeta wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that he wasn't there with them.

Suddenly, a heavy drowsiness engulfed him, and before Vegeta knew quite what was happening, he lost all consciousness. He slumped back into the chair, the picture frame slipping from his grasp along with his coffee mug, both falling to the floor with a small shattering of glass.

The lab worker, who had been watching from around the corner the whole time, pressed a button on his wrist communicator.

"Okay, phase one complete. Send in backup."

Not two minutes later, three other scientists dressed in the same long, white lab coats came through the door. Each wore a look of solemn seriousness, as if what they were doing was just another part of their day job.

"Wow, that stuff really worked." One said, checking to make sure the Saiyan prince really was out cold.

"Well, let's get on with this." Said another. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

The four worked together to heave Vegeta's body out of the house and behind the main Corporation building. There, a couple more scientists were preparing what appeared to be a small space pod.

"Coordinates set." One muttered, madly typing away at a large computer. "Main power on." As they made their final adjustments and inspections, the prince's unconscious body was placed inside the pod and strapped in. One of the men took out a few tools and began messing with the wiring below the pod's control panel. When he was done, the hatch was then sealed, and all the workers gathered around the large computer.

"Navigation system disabled?" One asked the scientist with the tools.

"Check." He responded.

"All emergency supplies have been removed?"

"Check."

"All systems are go. Let's do this." He muttered, pressing the ignition button.

* * *

Bulma had left the lab, feeling deeply annoyed that the capsule emergency had apparently been taken care of. She suddenly heard a low rumbling from behind the main building. Dashing around to have a look, she was just quick enough to catch a glimpse of something shooting out into the sky. She stared from the disappearing pod to her employees. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" She hollered, striding over to the men. "I didn't authorize any launches!"

"W… well, Madam President, we recently experienced some trouble with one of our satellites, and we just sent a man up to fix it."

"I was never informed of any satellite problems." Bulma countered sternly.

"It… just occurred today and… you've been so overworked lately, we thought we could just take care of it ourselves!" The scientist with the tools piped up.

"Hmm…" Bulma uncrossed her arms, her face softening a bit. "Well… that was nice of you. I guess today has been a little demanding on me." She sighed, thanked the employees, and went back to her house. She was too exhausted to discuss the matter any further anyway. Bulma trudged up to her bedroom, taking no notice of either the broken picture frame or her husband's absence. If anything, she would have been glad he wasn't there to argue with her more… but her fatigue would keep her from that observation, at least until she had some sleep.

* * *

Sutsuki: Aagh, Veggie-chan! No! Ooh, he's gonna be mad when he wakes up... Stay tuned for the next one! 


	5. Sudden Discoveries

Chapter 5: Sudden Discoveries

The next morning…

The sun shone rather dimly through Bulma Briefs's window that morning. As soon as she opened her eyes, Bulma knew something was not right. Call it intuition, or perhaps a sixth sense. But whatever it was, it had been troubling her all night in her dreams. She was somewhat relieved to be brought back to reality. The woman yawned and rolled on her side to wake her husband. The only problem was he was not there. She sat up quickly at the abnormal feeling of a cold and empty bedside, and searched around her room. She was completely alone.

'_Nothing to get worked up about…'_ She thought to herself. _'He probably got hungry and went to eat something.' _Just to make sure, she slipped on her purple robe and headed into the kitchen to find him. But much to her dismay, Vegeta was not there either.

'_Maybe he's doing some early morning training then…'_ She told herself, trying to calm down. But the gravity room was dark and empty. She hurried back into the house where she found Trunks making coffee with his eyes drooping shut.

"Trunks, have you seen your father?"

"Huh…?" The half-Saiyan answered with a yawn. "No, I haven't… Why, is he missing?"

"I'm not sure…" She muttered. This was really starting to scare her. "Do you sense his ki anywhere?"

"I'll check." Trunks said after taking a long swig of coffee. He shut his eyes and squinted his face, focusing on every energy signal compatible with his father's. Finally, he opened his eyes again, and wore a look of disappointment. "I can't sense Dad's ki anywhere…"

"Where could he be…?" Bulma mumbled softly. _'He's not still mad at me, is he? Is that the reason he's gone?'_

"Don't worry, Mom! You know Dad, I'm sure he's just masking his ki so he can go someplace private to train." Trunks reassured her with a grin.

"Yeah, maybe that's it." Bulma tried to smile back, but her gut feeling was telling her something was really wrong.

After hurriedly getting dressed, Bulma headed down to the front lobby to ask around.

"Good morning, Madam President!" chimed the secretary at the front desk.

"Hey Maple, you haven't seen Vegeta around this morning, have you?" Bulma asked the secretary with a worried look on her face.

"Why… no, ma'am." Maple shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't."

"Oh… that's all right." Bulma sighed, and turned down another hallway toward the security office to see if she could find some camera footage of Vegeta leaving.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unknown sector of space…

It had been ten, possibly twelve hours since the traitors of Capsule Corp had sent the Saiyan prince away. Now he was just waking up, eyes having trouble focusing in the dim light. He raised his head to find himself in a small, enclosed, white room with little space to move around in. Instantly recognizing his mate's space pod design, Vegeta scrambled over to the control system and began frantically pushing a sequence of buttons.

"_Navigational system disengaged."_ The computer announced.

"Then reengage it!!" Vegeta demanded. "Reengage navigational system NOW!!!"

"_Not capable."_ The voice informed him. _"Fatal system error. Navigational system damaged beyond repair."_

"DAMMIT!!!" The prince exclaimed, slamming his hands on the control panel. He sighed, before giving out another order. "Computer, identify location."

There was a series of beeps and whirs, before the computer finally announced, _"Coordinates unknown."_

For a moment, the prince could say nothing. He was trapped in this pod with no means of getting home. And to top it all off, he found no sign of any emergency supplies, food, water, etc. He tried remembering the last thing that had happened. He and Bulma had gotten into a fight, she had stormed off, and he had been left alone with that annoying employee. And the coffee had been bitter.

The coffee! There must have been some kind of powerful knock-out drug in there. Vegeta leaned back onto the seat, rubbing his temples, cursing the little man, cursing Kakarot, cursing his own stupidity.

In all his years of experience living on a ship, back in the days of Frieza, never before had he been faced with a situation this hopeless. His vast knowledge of the galaxies could not help him now. There was nothing for him to do but wait it out, and hope that something would happen to turn the tables, or someone would come along and help him out. As much as he hated relying on others, he didn't have much choice in the matter. For all he knew, his mate was back home and somehow knew exactly where he was, and was preparing a rescue party right now.

All he could do was wait… and hope.

* * *

For the most part, that morning at Capsule Corp had been one of complete chaos. Bulma, who had not been able to find a single piece of security footage from the previous night, was thoroughly annoyed. The one(s) responsible would PAY. Trunks had been doing all he could to help, but with his mother frantically running around everywhere, there wasn't much else he could do but run the company; an occupation he was excellent at, but utterly loathed. So far, the only suspicious thing anyone had found was a broken coffee mug and a cracked picture frame with an old camping photo in it. They had been lying right in front of the chair Vegeta had last been seen sitting in. Even if he was that angry with her, Bulma knew her husband was not one to waste good coffee. She now had all the pieces of the mug in her lab, and was conducting a chemical analysis of the coffee, as well as a fingerprint test on the pieces.

Other than that, Goten had been having a rather pleasurable morning. Since the incident with his father, he had been suspicious of evil happenings once again plaguing the Earth. So he was currently training, readying himself if he were ever needed.

He had been in the middle of some dodge drills with Pan, when he spotted Bra walking out onto her deck, still in her nightgown. He found himself staring at her, watching her stretch her arms, following her every…

A smart kick to the gut had snapped him back to his senses, and also sent him flying a good twenty feet.

"Hey, Uncle Goten! Quit spacing out on me!" Pan shouted hotly, watching her uncle stumble to his feet, rubbing his stomach. "You know, it's no fun to hit a target that doesn't move!"

"Sorry, Pan!" Goten called back through grit teeth. The shorty packed some punch, just like her mother.

Bra, meanwhile, had noticed and was giggling at the young man's scrunched-up expression of pain.

Goten grinned and waved at her. She waved back, and then ran inside quickly to get dressed.

A few minutes later, Bra was sitting in the warm grass watching Pan whoop Goten again and again. After Pan had declared she was bored, she left Goten to his bruises and headed back in the house.

"It was nice of you to let her win like that." Bra smiled, striding over to where Goten sat, rubbing his head.

"Wha… what do you mean?" Goten asked.

"Oh, come on! It's obvious you're really stronger than she is. I could totally tell you were holding back by the way it looked like you could barely land a punch."

"Uh… sure!" Goten grinned, feeling the redness creep up into his cheeks.

"So…" Bra started, and let her eyes drift to the ground. She began shuffling her feet. "Do you think… that is… well, if you're not too busy…"

Goten rubbed his head with confusion.

"What I mean to say is…" Bra stuttered, and then finally burst out, "I want to learn how to fly!"

Goten tried not to chuckle at the redness engulfing her cheeks.

"That is… if you'd like to teach me."

"Of course!" Goten answered without hesitation. "I mean… Sure, that would be great! So, when do you want to start?"

"Right now." Bra replied.

"Oh…" he said, trying to ignore his stomach's objections. Then, with a grin of enthusiasm, he replied, "Okay!"

* * *

Pan, meanwhile, was wandering the maze of hallways in the Capsule Corp building, looking for something interesting to occupy herself with. Evidently, her uncle had gotten boring, so now she was forced to kill time some other way.

It wasn't long before she passed a lab room in which Trunks was busy working on some nameless new invention. She entered, hoping she would catch his eye. But apparently, the hunk of metal in his hands was way more interesting than her. She cleared her throat loudly.

"Hey, Pan." He greeted without looking up.

"Oh, so _now_ you notice me, huh?" Pan said hotly. "Geez, Trunks."

"What?" Trunks chuckled. "Sorry, Pan. I'm just really busy right now."

"Oh, _are_ you?" she said, striding over behind him. "So, what _are_ you working on that's so important?"

"It's a mini-tracking device."

"Doesn't look that small."

"Well, that's because this piece is… well, it's sort of like a remote control. These are the tracers." He held up a tiny, square-shaped piece of something Pan could barely see. "You see, since my dad's been running around and leaving whenever he feels like it, I figured I could attach these to his clothes so we could always have a way of pinpointing exactly where he is at any given time. Of course," He said with a nervous laugh, "Dad would kill me if he ever found out."

"Oh…" Pan replied, as if she cared. "Hey, what's this one?" She asked, pointing to a bright red capsule on another counter.

"No, don't touch that one, Pan. It's still experimental. I haven't worked out all the bugs quite yet, so it's unstable, and-"

But Pan hadn't been listening. She was already striding quickly over to where the capsule lay, and with one swift motion, swiped it off the countertop.

"Hey!! I said don't touch that!" Trunks shouted, setting down his work in order to chase after her. "Put it down, Pan! I mean it!!"

"Nyah nyah, can't catch me!" Pan teased. She dashed around and ducked under the tables where Trunks was just too big to fit.

"Hey! Quit running, there are wires everywhere! You could-"

But it was too late. Pan had been running backwards, and her shoe had caught under a particularly thick, black power cord. The snag had caught her off guard, and the capsule slipped out of her hand and went clattering to the floor. Trunks dashed up to Pan in an attempt to catch her, but lost his balance and came crashing down right on top of her.

When Pan opened her eyes again, she found Trunks's nose inches from her own. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, they both became lost in the other's gaze. Pan began to feel his strong arm where it had wrapped itself around her waist, his hand on the small of her back. She was practically flat on her back with both elbows propping her up. He was on his knees right over her, their bodies so close she thought she could feel his heartbeat thumping through his chest and pulsating through her own. The warmth that emitted from him was comforting… tender… oh, this was so wrong…

"TRUNKS, YOU PERVERT!!!" Pan shouted, drawing up her legs in order to kick him off of her. As she hurriedly picked herself up, she turned away quickly, feeling herself burn with blush.

"Ahh… I…" Trunks stuttered, backing away, blushing just as badly. "I- I didn't mean it, I swear! It- it was your own fault! I told you not to run!" He hurried over to where the capsule lay, and picked it up off the floor. After replacing it on the counter, he buried himself in his work once more. "Wh- why don't you go and see if your mom needs your help making lunch, huh?" There was a moment of silence, where all he could hear was the familiar, low-pitched hum of the machines around them. Then, without a word, he heard her walk slowly out of the room. He sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. _'Glad she didn't see that…'_

Pan looked back as she strode through the doorway. Half of her longed to say something, but the other half told her to get out of there as fast as she could. She wished he would look back at her, or at least say something to break the uneasy silence. But, feeling there was nothing else to be said between them, she didn't stop. In fact, once she was out of his earshot, she bolted back outside and didn't slow down until she was under the shade of a blooming cherry blossom tree. There, she leaned up against it and sank to the ground, not knowing whether to savor or regret the encounter.

* * *

"Okay… do you think you're ready now?"

Bra opened her eyes again to see Goten smiling down at her. She nodded and stood up. They had been practicing ki channeling for the last half hour, and Bra now had a good feel for how to fly- or, as Goten had informed her, perform the _bukujutsu_ technique.

"All right. Now, focus your ki like I told you." Goten instructed.

Bra did so, sending a small gust of wind out from all sides of her. Her hair blew straight upward, and she shut her eyes tightly.

"Whoa, not so much, Bra! At that rate, you'll shoot up like a rocket!"

Bra opened her eyes and nodded, bringing her power level down. The gust of wind died down to a light breeze, just rippling the ends of her cerulean hair.

"Okay, that's perfect. Now focus it all straight below you." Goten said.

Bra did as she was told, and soon felt a lifting sensation sweep down her spine. She looked to see she was hovering a couple inches above the ground.

"Excellent, Bra!!" Goten praised. "Now, raise your ki a little more to push yourself up farther."

"Okay!!" Bra did so, sending herself flying straight upward at an alarming rate.

"Whoa!!" Goten awed, watching her become smaller and smaller the higher she got. Goten shot off after her. "Hold back a little, Bra!" He shouted when he neared her. "Good, now try to control your flight pattern! It's all in the way you move your body!"

Bra focused all her energy on trying to hover constantly in one spot. Once she had mastered that, she lowered herself down until she was about 100 feet from the ground. Slowly, she began to experiment by leaning her body this way and that, seeing what would happen. It wasn't long before she was flying in a big circle over Goten's head. Goten nodded at his pupil, wearing a grin of satisfaction. She had done well.

"How was that?" Bra asked as she landed a bit shakily in front of him.

"Good, but I noticed you're having trouble keeping your speed constant. I know it's your first time, and you're doing very well. Just try not to let your ki fluctuate that much next time, okay"?

"Right." She nodded, bowing to thank him for the lesson.

Goten caught a glimpse of agitation in her face. He grinned. She was just so _cute_ when she was frustrated.

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Goten rubbed the back of his head with modesty. "I had fun teaching you! And hey, at this rate, with a bit more practice, you'll be flying as fast as me in no time!"

Bra beamed with satisfaction.

For a moment, they just stood there, all concept of time lost to them. It was only when Goten's stomach began complaining that they both burst out laughing, and decided to go inside for lunch.

* * *

Sutsuki: Yay, relationship-developing chapter!! Hope you liked, I know the whole 'teach me how to fly' thing is so unoriginal, but hey, it's something. Now please review so I can post the next one!!


	6. Realization

Chapter 6: Realization

Bulma must have reread the words on her computer screen at least a dozen times. It was all just beginning to make sense. The chemical equation displayed on the monitor was a formula for a powerful tranquilizer strong enough to kill a human, if administered enough. But for someone such as her husband, she figured it would only knock him out for a few hours.

That was what had been in the broken mug, along with his usual nightly dosage of black coffee. The shards of the broken mug had been dusted and searched for fingerprints other than Vegeta's. So far, she could just barely make out one other person's prints, and had yet to place a name to them. As for the broken picture frame, it had only Vegeta's fingerprints on it, so she concluded he must've dropped it. How careless.

But nonetheless, her mind kept wandering back to the night before, when she had come out of the lab building only to catch a few of her employees conducting an unauthorized launch. Even if it was just to fix a satellite, wouldn't the ship have returned by now? These thoughts troubling her, Bulma searched her launch records to find that the craft they had sent off the night before wasn't a maintenance ship, but a small, one-man space pod modeled after the one Goku had been brought to Earth in.

The knock-out drug, the launch, the suspicious behavior of her own employees… Bulma thought herself very stupid after taking so long to put all the pieces together.

She picked up the nearest phone and was just about to call for Trunks when she noticed there was no dial tone. Pressing her ear closely to the receiver, Bulma began to hear the frantic, quivering voice of one of her employees.

"Y- yes, sir! The Saiyans are here at Capsule Corp, sir! President Briefs has been keeping them in her own residence for the past 24 hours! I would've called sooner, but-"

"It's all right, son." A more masculine voice interrupted from the other end of the line. "Good job. Your services have aided us greatly in the hunt for the Saiyans, and I promise you will be deeply rewarded. Now just stay on the line and a squad will be there in a few minutes to take care of them."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir!"

Bulma quickly hung up. Someone had called the police. And if her hunch was correct, the man who had called was in league with whoever had ordered her husband to be dispatched the previous night. But what were they after? The idea of a bunch of capsule scientists formulating a plan to rid the world of Saiyans was utterly ridiculous.

'_They must be working for someone else.'_ She thought. But it was impossible to figure out just who. _It's more important right now that I find Gohan and Trunks and warn them!_

Bulma raced out of the lab and back to the house.

* * *

Trunks had grown bored with his work, and had just gone back into the house to join everyone else for lunch when his mother burst in, breathing heavily.

"Mother, are you all right?" He asked, helping her into the kitchen and getting her a glass of water.

"Something's… not right…" She gasped, ignoring the glass her son held before her. "Someone's… called the police…"

"Why?" Gohan asked. "Was there a robbery?"

Bulma shook her head. "I don't know why, but the authorities seem to be on a search for Saiyans. I overheard one of the scientists that works here on the phone with the police. They seem to think you're a threat."

"But why the sudden interest in Saiyans? Why now?" Goten questioned.

"I'm not sure."

Just as those words came out of Bulma's mouth, Gohan seemed to sense something and moved quickly to the window.

"Do you hear that?" He asked, directing his question to Goten and Trunks. All were silent, until the two nodded in understanding.

"What? What is it?" Bulma asked, looking out the window where Gohan stood.

"There are large vehicles heading this way. A lot of them…" Gohan said. "If I had to guess, I'd say it sounded like the entire Western army."

"Yeah, you're right." Goten said. "What's the plan, bro?"

Gohan turned solemnly back to the crowd of people in the room. "Well, I guess we do what they want. After all, since it appears they think we're a worldwide threat, it would only make things worse if we were to resist."

"Gohan, I don't think that's such a good idea." Uub said softly.

"Hmm? Why not, Uub?" Gohan asked.

"Well, when I was at the lookout with Goku, I heard Dende say he sensed a strange presence somewhere on the Earth. They couldn't figure out what it was, but Dende sounded really worried. And now the humans are turning against you. Doesn't it seem odd that these two events are happening at the same time? I mean, what if they're connected in some way?"

"Yeah," Bulma said. "And then there's Vegeta's disappearance, and Goku's- well, you know. It's not implausible for these events to be more than just a coincidence."

"Hmm, I see what you're saying." Gohan said. "Well then, we'll just have to crack this case ourselves and restore our good names!"

"Okay, but first thing's first." Trunks said. "What do we do about them?" He pointed to the window, where the group could see multiple army tanks and trucks filled with combat soldiers and policemen pulling up in front of Capsule Corp.

Gohan thought for a moment. "Bulma, do you think you could hold them off? Just for a few minutes?"

"Sure thing, Gohan." Bulma nodded.

"Great. I just need to get to the lab and get Dad. As soon as I'm out, Goten, I want you to lead the rest out of here. We'll meet up again at mom's house back in East District."

"Will do, bro." Goten said.

"Good. So for now, everyone else go upstairs and wait for my signal. Then escape only when it's safe." Gohan instructed. Then he added, "Trunks, before you go, I have a special task for you."

* * *

Two minutes later…

Bulma sat down in her chair, picked up the newspaper, and was pretending to be deep into an article when the doorbell rang. Bulma took her time in answering it. On the other side of the door stood a tall, muscular man in uniform, looking very business-like.

"Good morning, Madam President." The man said with a formal bow.

Bulma bowed back politely without a reply.

The man straightened himself up and got right to the point of his visit.

"President Briefs, our sources tell us that you have been housing a member of a foreign race of aliens known as 'Saiyans' for a number of years now, and have produced two offspring that have been classified as Saiyan-human 'hybrids'. What's more, we have reason to believe you are currently hosting another Saiyan family in your home. Is this information correct?"

Bulma was disgusted with what she was hearing. This man was referring to her husband and children as if they were monsters! Nonetheless, she couldn't refuse to answer to the authorities.

"Yes, that information is correct, officer." She replied, unmoved. "And what do you want with my children?"

"The Saiyans, including your children, have been classified as a major threat to society, and I've been ordered to place them in custody for the time being."

"But they've done nothing wrong."

"Maybe not, ma'am, but their inhuman powers make them a hazard to the public, and must be dealt with immediately before things get out of hand. Now, I'm going to have to ask you to step aside."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'm going to have to place you under arrest for insubordination to an authoritative figure."

Bulma, however, was completely prepared for this response.

"Fine," She said, holding out her wrists.

* * *

"What the…?!"

"Pan, get down! They'll see you!" Trunks tugged on her arm and pulled her out of the window's view. They were all gathered in Bra's room because it was placed at one corner of the house where they had a good view of the front of the house, as well as the lab, and also a balcony from which to escape.

"But Trunks, those people are arresting Bulma!" She stared at him, but he seemed unaffected by that truth. "Hello! Are you listening to me? They're taking your mother to jail!!"

"I know!!" He said loudly, and then quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. "I know." He said more softly. "Don't worry about her, Pan. I know my mom, and she can handle herself. Besides, we should be watching for Gohan to come out of the lab."

"Right…" Pan agreed, slumping down beside him and drawing up her knees.

"Has he come out yet, Goten?" Trunks asked.

"Not yet." Goten replied, keeping his gaze locked on to the door of the lab outside the glass balcony doors.

"Well, he'd better hurry." Trunks whispered, hearing heavy footsteps downstairs. "It sounds like they're searching the place."

"Hurry, Papa…" Pan muttered.

"There he goes…" Goten announced softly, watching his brother slip quietly out the back door of the lab, his father's body draped over his shoulder. "He told us to wait for his signal… What's he using for a signal? He never told us…"

But to everyone's surprise, instead of heading away from the army, Gohan went right for them, backing up against the wall of the house so as not to be seen.

"Wait, what's he doing?!" Bra asked, watching Gohan intently. Everyone was so occupied with watching Gohan that they failed to notice Trunks stand up and leave the room.

Then, before anyone could figure out what he was doing, Gohan let loose a small but fast ki blast, exploding an empty army vehicle. This seemed to attract the attention of every soldier out there, even the ones that had begun to search the house. They continued to watch as Gohan ran from sight and flew off to the east before any of the soldiers could catch a glimpse of him.

"I don't believe it…" Goten muttered, listening to the footsteps downstairs get softer and softer. "I guess that was it!" He said. "Everybody follow me!"

The small crowd of people frantically stood up and filed out behind him. Chi-Chi, being the only one who couldn't fly, was offered a lift from Uub. Making sure no one was looking their way, Goten led the group out onto the balcony and blasted off as fast as he could in the direction of East District.

Trunks had been waiting for that signal. As just about every soldier was dashing to the side of the house to catch whatever had caused the explosion, he snuck around the parked vehicles until he found where his mother was being held captive. He finally spotted her sitting up against one of the vehicles with her hands cuffed in front of her. There were also two armed soldiers guarding her. Leaping silently on the top of the vehicle, Trunks came down behind them, lightly punching them both on the backs of their necks, knocking them out before either could turn around. Scooping his mother up in his arms, he blasted straight up into the air, not daring to slow down until he was beyond the safety of the cloud cover.

"Are you all right?" He asked her.

"Of course. When am I ever not?" Bulma answered, holding out her wrists so he could send a tiny ball of ki into the lock, causing the cuffs to release their hold and fall off. Then he turned to the east and blasted off as fast as he could after the others.

Goten could hear the others following closely behind him, trying desperately to keep up with his high speed. He glanced back at the crowd, immediately noticing Bra falling behind. He slowed down and let Pan lead the rest of the way. Allowing the girl to catch up with him, he flew by her side, helping her along.

"Are you doing okay?" He asked her. Bra nodded with her eyes squeezed shut, trying to force more ki behind her. "You sure?" She nodded again.

Goten felt proud to see her so dedicated to improving her flying skills, but knew it was currently more important to reach his house as fast as possible. He carefully positioned himself directly above her and placed his hands on her waist. Their auras touched and combined to form one big, fiery mass. Adding his own ki to hers, the two sped off faster than either had before. Bra opened her eyes to see they were passing everyone else in the group.

"Goten!" She gasped, looking up at his smiling face. This was incredible… magical even. She spread out her arms to her sides to add to the effect. Goten moved his hands to hers, and their fingers intertwined. Temporarily forgetting the urgency of the situation, the two lost themselves in their enchantment.

* * *

Sutsuki: coughTitaniccough cough ahem! And so the chase begins! What will our heroes do now that they know Vegeta's disappearance was planned? And what the heck are they going to do with Goku's unconscious body?! Review and I'll post!!


	7. No Refuge for the Wanted

Sutsuki: And now, before we start the chapter, a few well-deserved recognitions to those of you who reviewed.

**The General of Darkness**: You rock!!! And so do your reviews! And your stories!

**Shahi**: It wasn't _exactly_ the soul Kesshin removed from Goku, but more like... how do I put this? His consciousness? Yes, it's more like his essence, his mind if you will. His body's basically in a coma, and isn't decaying or anything, as it would if the soul was removed. Technically, that would be called death.

**Mikuru-kun**: Where are ya?

* * *

Chapter 7: No Refuge for the Wanted

Hours later, the group found themselves being served a huge dinner, compliments of Chi-Chi. After all, huge dinners were her specialty. As usual, the ravenous Saiyans dove in head-first as soon as the first tray was placed in front of them. Even Uub tried his hand at the ritual, grabbing and scraping at anything near him, even if it turned out to be someone else's hand.

"Geez, it's not like anyone's going to starve." Chi-Chi commented from the safety of her kitchen. Seeing Bulma's anxious look, she quickly added, "Oh, don't worry! I'm making something separate for the two of us."

"Thank God." Bulma sighed with a smile. At least now she had an excuse for being so stressed. Actually, she had been thinking of Vegeta. She still had no idea where he was or how he was doing. Surely he would be suffering if he didn't have anyone to cook for him. Bulma had to admit, even though she wasn't the best cook, it was at least edible… most of the time. And it was what the prince lived off of. "Uh… Chi-Chi, I think I'm just going to take a walk outside." She said.

"Okay… Don't go too far, or you'll get lost in that jungle." Chi-Chi chuckled.

Bulma smiled and left.

Chi-Chi watched her go, and let loose a deep sigh as the door closed behind her old friend. She had sensed Bulma's stress all day, and had been trying her best to cheer her up.

"Vegeta, you dope…" She muttered, staring at the ceiling. "You had better be all right… for her sake."

* * *

Bulma walked a few yards, stopped, and let her head drop back to look up at the night sky. She could see the stars so much more clearly out here. 

"Vegeta…" She whispered absent-mindedly. She folded her arms, trying to shield herself from the cold night air. The breeze picked up, rustling through her short cerulean hair. Her thoughts wandered back to earlier that morning when she had discovered the broken picture frame on the floor in her living room. She remembered the picture vividly. It had been of a summer camping trip with her son and parents. Vegeta hadn't come…

* * *

_Bulma stared out the dark window, watching the landscape fly past. Her parents were talking excitedly together in the front seats of the car, but she barely cared to listen. She gazed down at Trunks, who had fallen asleep about an hour ago, his head resting in her lap. The boy was clutching at a picture from their trip; one he couldn't wait to show his father. He had caught his first fish, and it had been huge; almost as big as him, and he had managed to reel the thing in all on his own. Bulma smiled as she remembered how excited he had been and how he couldn't wait to tell his father._

_She turned again to the car window, listening to the light pitter-patter of raindrops against the glass. Why hadn't he decided to come with them? It was supposed to be a family vacation. She knew she had expected such a response from her husband. After all, he was far too absorbed in his training for such 'trivial nuisances' as he had phrased it. For Kami's sake, it was his son's first fishing trip!_

_Bulma sighed as the car pulled up in front of their darkened house. She got out and helped her mother with the luggage as her father carried Trunks inside. Once everything had been put inside, Bulma came out alone to capsulize the car. Pocketing the small yellow tube, she turned back to the house to realize Vegeta had been leaning against the wall watching her._

"_There you are." Bulma said. Her tone suddenly changed from composed to angry. "So, what do you have to say for yourself?" She advanced on him. "Your son missed you. I can't believe you wanted to miss this vacation for a little stupid training! You are so…"_

_She never got a chance to finish. She had been trying to find the right word that was capable of phrasing all the things Vegeta was, but nothing fit. She stomped her foot in frustration and headed back for the house. She had just touched the doorknob when she felt a strong hand close around her left wrist._

"_No…" He said softly. "Stay with me… out here…"_

"_But…" Bulma protested, shuddering from the cold of the rain that was now running down her back. She gazed into his dark eyes, and could say no more. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his strong arms around her. She couldn't understand it. Her anger vanished, and she found herself hugging him back._

"_I missed you," He whispered._

(A/N: AWW!! (squeals) And it was even dark and raining when I wrote this part.)

* * *

Bulma's knees finally gave way, and she collapsed onto the long, cold grass. Tears began welling up in her eyes, which surprised her. She wasn't one to break down easily, but something heavy inside her was dragging her feelings out. She stood up and wiped her eyes, thinking herself silly for being this emotional. Her husband was always off somewhere. She was completely used to him not being around. Then why now did she realize the pain it put her through? To see her children growing up before her eyes, and knowing he was missing it… it killed her. 

"Mom?"

Bulma whirled around, wiping the last of her tears away, to see Trunks striding towards her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, of course! Why would anything be wrong?"

"Have you been crying?" He asked, seeing the redness in her eyes.

"Crying, me? Trunks Briefs, when have you ever seen your mother cry?" She chuckled vainly. "No, it's just all this plant growth. I'm not used to these kinds of plants, and it's working up my allergies."

"Oh…" Trunks sighed, smiling sadly at his mother's pathetic attempted cover-up. He could always see right through her. "Well, why don't we go back inside? Your dinner's ready."

Bulma nodded and followed her son back into the house. But she couldn't help turning back for one last look at the sky, just to make sure…

* * *

No sooner had the first light of morning shone over the mountain treetops, when Gohan was awakened by a sharp feeling in his gut. 

"Something's wrong…" He muttered, springing from his bed.

"What is it?" Videl yawned from his side.

"They've found us." Gohan said, hurriedly getting dressed in his normal orange gi. "We have to get everyone up. Tell them we're leaving now."

Videl nodded as she watched her husband rush out the bedroom door.

Minutes later, everyone was awake and, though annoyed and hungry, ready to go.

"I think we shouldn't take our chances this time," Gohan was saying as Pan hurried out to join the group preparing to leave. "So that's why I think the ones the army won't bother should seek refuge somewhere safe until we can get things sorted out. By that, I mean Mom, Videl, Bulma, and Uub."

"Just where are you thinking of sending us?" Chi-Chi asked firmly.

"Well, I couldn't think of very many places, but- I hope you understand, Mother- the safest place I could think of that was both fairly close and secluded was Master Roshi's island."

"YOU'RE KIDDING!!" Bulma immediately burst out. "No way am I going to that old pervert's place! You know what he'll do, Gohan."

Gohan backed up, scratching his head. "That's why I was hesitant." He turned to his mother. "Please do this for me, Mom. I need to know that you're safe while we figure out what's going on."

"Fine…" Chi-Chi replied simply, knowing perfectly well that she could defend herself against the lecherous old man. "Just promise me you'll be careful, Gohan! Take care of everyone, and come back soon!"

Gohan nodded, turning to Uub. "Can I trust you with them, Uub?"

"Sure, Gohan." Uub replied.

"All right… Let's get going!" Gohan announced, hoisting his father's limp body onto his back.

"But where are we going, Gohan?" Trunks asked. But there wasn't time for an answer. The rumbling of the artillery vehicles could be heard plainly in the distance.

"Uub, go! Hurry, and don't let them see you!" Gohan urged. Uub nodded, scooping up a defiant Bulma and taking off gently into the air. Videl hoisted Chi-Chi up onto her back and followed suit, keeping close to Uub. Gohan watched them disappear to the east before motioning for the rest of them to follow him in the opposite direction.

The small band of runaways hadn't flown far when an oncoming whistling noise was heard.

"Look out!!" Gohan suddenly yelled, realizing the danger first. A split second later, a torrent of missiles and bullets came at them from below, one narrowly missing Pan's ear.

"Why are they shooting at us?!?" Pan cried frantically, feeling her ear to make sure it was still intact.

"I don't know, but we've got to get out of here!" Trunks yelled. "Come on!!" He led the others in a series of maneuvers to dodge the gunshots.

"Wait! Wait up, guys!!" Bra called frantically. "I can't fly as fast as you!! WAIT!!!"

Goten heard her cries and turned to help her- just as one of the bigger missiles collided into her and exploded.

"BRA!!!" He screamed, and watched in terror as her limp body plunged out of the smoke and plummeted toward the ground below. Barely stopping to think, he rocketed down after her. Upon hearing the explosion, Trunks and the others had stopped and turned around only to see a cloud of black smoke hovering in midair, sparks emitting from all sides.

'_How could I be so stupid!?_' Goten thought to himself harshly. _'I knew she couldn't fly well, and I let her get shot!! If she's not all right, I will never forgive myself!!' _He flew down faster and faster toward the limp body falling in front of him. He scooped her up just feet from the treetops, and zoomed back up into the sky where the others were waiting with frantic looks on their faces. "Bra, are you okay? Can you hear me?" He called.

"Goten…" The girl weakly opened her eyes and looked up at him. Then a surge of pain seared through her body and she clenched her right arm, grimacing. "Oh, my arm!!"

Goten looked at the arm. It was most certainly broken.

"Bra!!!" Trunks came speeding towards them. "Bra, are you all right?" Bra couldn't answer.

"Her arm's busted, Trunks." Goten said. "I think that's where the missile hit her."

Bra held her bleeding arm and moaned in pain.

"We've got to get her to safety!" Trunks said frantically. "Gohan! How far is it to Krillin's house?"

"It's not far! Follow me!" Gohan called, speeding off toward East City.

* * *

The demi-Saiyans quickly landed in front of the beautiful white house, and Pan was the first to rush to the front door and ring the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal the face of a blond-haired girl of 18. 

Pan smiled at the older girl. "Hi, Marron! Long time, no-"

_SLAM_

"What the…" Pan jumped back in surprise. "What's wrong with her?" She stared blankly at the shut door in front of her.

"She looked kind of frightened to me." Trunks said.

"But why would she be scared of us?" Pan asked. "She knows us!"

The door slowly reopened, this time by Krillin, who practically shrunk back when he saw the confused group of people on his front porch.

"You guys shouldn't be here!" Krillin hissed in a hurried whisper. "You'll get caught if you hang around here much longer!"

"You know about that?" Gohan inquired.

"Heck, who doesn't? It's on the top story of every news channel! You guys are now wanted terrorists! They're offering a huge reward for any information concerning your whereabouts, so everyone is looking for you! You had better get out of here fast!"

"Krillin, please! Can't you see that she's hurt?" Goten cried, still carrying a whimpering Bra.

"I'm… sorry, guys. I just don't want to get involved. If this was a few years ago, you know I wouldn't hesitate to help, but things are different now! I've got a family to look after!"

"But-" Pan started.

"We understand, Krillin." Gohan interrupted, placing a hand on Pan's shoulder. "We'll go now."

"I'm really sorry, you guys…" Krillin said, but received no answer as he watched the dejected Saiyans fly back off into the sky.

"Well that was certainly rude of him!" Pan said, folding her arms as she followed closely behind Trunks.

"Don't worry about it, Pan." Trunks answered. But before he could say any more, a whirring noise was heard from behind them. They turned to see about a dozen military fighter planes in hot pursuit.

"Aw man, not again!" Pan yelled.

"Why won't they just leave us alone!?" Goten hollered. He turned back to Bra, who was barely conscious in his arms. "What have we ever done to them?" He muttered.

"C'mon! Let's take cover down there!" Gohan called, pointing to a thick forest surrounding the approaching Northern Mountain Range. "They won't be able to follow us into those trees!"

The group dove down into the forest and swerved around in all different directions so as to throw off the planes. But their followers were ever persistent, and flew right above the treetops.

"Oh man, why won't they just give up!?" Gohan panted agitatedly after about half an hour. He and the others were beginning to wear down, and the extra weight from his father's lifeless body didn't exactly help. He took shelter under one of the trees to catch his breath for a moment, having lost track of the others in all the panic.

"Gohan, over here!" A familiar voice hissed from among the massive branches above his head. Gohan turned just in time to see someone leap from atop one of them and land smoothly on the ground in front of him.

"Tien Shinhan!" Gohan exclaimed in astonishment. "I don't believe it!" He beamed at his old three-eyed friend.

"It looked like you were having some trouble, and I came to see if I could help."

"Where's Chiaotzu?" He asked, looking around.

"He's out trying to find the others." Tien replied. "Follow me." He speedily took off, Gohan obediently hovering behind him. Tien led him toward the side of a cliff, where there was a large and powerful waterfall flowing down into a large river below. "Over here." Tien motioned, leading Gohan to where the waterfall met the cliff's face. He then moved away a large boulder lodged into the side of the cliff, revealing a narrow passageway leading to a hollowed out cavern filled with what little possessions Tien and Chiaotzu willingly owned.

"Whoa…" Gohan gaped in awe. He noticed Goten and Bra were already there, huddled against one of the moist walls. Bra was still whimpering slightly, leaning up against Goten for support. Chiaotzu had gone back out to search for Trunks and Pan. Gohan removed his father's body from his back and lowered it to the ground. Tien fetched a pillow and laid it under Goku's head.

"Now…" Tien sighed, starting a fire. "I think you should start explaining."

* * *

Sutsuki: Hey again everybody! If you've gotten down this far it means you actually took the time to read my little 'thought-of-the-moment' section down here. I'm touched! Well, I'll really only be touched if I know you've read, and the only way to let me know is by sending me a nice little review! C'mon, you've got a minute, right? Even just one little sentence? A fragment? I'm not desperate or anything, I swear... 

Anyway, stay tuned for the next one because it's packed with way more action, including Vegeta's little ordeal!


	8. The Third Day

Chapter 8: The Third Day

"Oh, I see." Tien sighed, after being informed of everything that had happened in the past two days. "Well this is certainly a turnaround. The people you've sworn to protect are now trying to hunt you down like convicts."

"Yeah… and fighting back is out of the question because that would probably result in loss of life… giving them all the more reason to attack us…" Trunks sighed. He looked over at his little sister, who was currently being cared for by Chiaotzu. He couldn't help feeling uncomfortable seeing her sit in his best friend's lap. Goten had simply refused to leave her side, taking it upon himself to ensure her safety from then on.

"There you go. All done." Chiaotzu beamed, backing away from his work. Bra's arm was now bandaged and bound in a temporary wooden sling.

"Thank you…" Bra smiled. That being the only satisfaction he needed, Chiaotzu went skipping off to tend to the stew he was cooking over the small fire.

"It was sure a stroke of luck that we ran into you two!" Goten chimed.

"Yeah, we would have been caught for sure if you hadn't come along!" Gohan agreed.

Tien chuckled. "Well, you're all welcome to stay here until those cronies go away."

"Stew's ready!" Chiaotzu announced. No sooner had the words left his mouth when five ravenous Saiyans sprang forward. The miniature cook had to scramble out of the way and back up against the stone wall to keep from being trampled.

* * *

Kesshin couldn't believe his eyes. 

He stood with his feet sunken in warm, damp sand, the water behind him occasionally lapping around them. Before him stood a familiar sight: a vast, thick jungle laced with vines and various birdcalls. The air was hot and moist, and the trees were tall, thick, and knarled in all of their untouched glory, exactly like Tanaka.

_To think there was such a climate on a frigid planet like Earth…_

The only problem was… everything was so green. The flora on Tanaka had all been the most elegant tint of pale blue, the exact color of a Tanakian's skin.

Kesshin could fix that.

He raised his arms and faced his palms toward the dense forest. The familiar green glow issued forth as he concentrated on the trees' pigments. Slowly, the jungle changed color until Kesshin was satisfied he could effectively hide in it.

He knew it was a sign of weakness to be so wistful for one's home, but Michio would understand. The two had planned to make this planet home after the completion of their mission. And this little island was the ideal spot for the two to live alone and undisturbed for the rest of their days, basking in the success of their vengeance.

As the sun set behind the water, Kesshin sighed in his nostalgia and made his way into the dimly lit jungle. Soon, he knew, it would all be over.

* * *

Before anyone knew it, night had fallen on the northern mountains. Tien was keeping watch just outside the waterfall. At the sight of the last light fading from behind the mountains to the west, Tien once again removed the boulder from the cliffside and entered the damp cavern of sleeping people. 

"It's time." He announced, stirring everyone but Goten.

"Already…?" Pan mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"The sun is completely set, and there's a heavy cloud cover. I'd say conditions are about perfect for you to make your way out of this region unnoticed." Tien informed Gohan.

"Thanks for everything, Tien. I owe you big time." Gohan smiled gratefully with a polite bow.

"Don't mention it." Tien beamed back. "Now, it'd be best if you get going as soon as possible. There's only a limited amount of time before sunrise, and you'll need every minute of it."

"Where are we going, Papa?" Pan asked.

"We're going to the Heavenly Realm, Pan. You know, Dende's lookout." Gohan answered.

"Yeah!" Pan exclaimed. "We're sure to find help there!"

"It's a long journey," Gohan said, "but I'm confident everyone here can make it."

Everyone quickly prepared to leave, continually thanking Tien and Chiaotzu for their hospitality. Goten received a swift kick in the side via Trunks, which roused him immediately. Just as they were finally ready to get underway, Pan noticed no one had bothered to even touch Goku.

"Papa, we almost forgot Grandpa…" she said, tugging at his shirt to get his attention.

"It's all right, Pan. Tien has agreed to take care of your grandpa until we figure things out." Gohan responded, a note of haste in his voice.

"We're leaving Grandpa?!" she cried.

"Pan, this is a very dangerous situation. His body would just be of burden to us, and slow us down. It's better this way, trust me."

"Okay…" Pan said.

"Now, we have to leave quickly. Are you ready?"

Pan nodded and followed her father into the cool night air. They immediately took off, staying low until Trunks gave the 'all-clear', signaling that it was all right to fly up to higher altitudes.

Once the group broke through the thick barrier of clouds, the mood became a little less tense. However, they were constantly looking around to make sure there were no airplanes. Pan was the least uptight of all, and seemed to enjoy making out shapes in the clouds below. But after about a couple hours of this sameness, she found it difficult to keep her eyes open, let alone her ki focused on flying.

"Pan, it would be a bad idea to fall asleep while flying." Her father's voice pulled her back into consciousness.

"Oh sorry, Papa. I'm just so tired…" She said with a yawn.

"Well, if you'd open your eyes, you'd see that we're almost there."

Pan looked to see a small, vertical line in the distance. It stretched up to the sky, farther than her eyes could see.

"Is that it?" She asked skeptically.

Gohan chuckled. "No, that's Korin's Tower. We're going to the top of it."

For once, their journey had been completely uneventful, and they were thankful. The refugees were warmly greeted by Dende and Mr. Popo upon arrival. Of course, Piccolo was there too, but since when did he give warm greetings?

Seeing Bra's wound, Dende had immediately tended to her first.

The girl stared in wonder as the green man emitted a faint, gold light from his palms, and a tingling sensation swept through the wound in her arm. Soon after, the wooden brace that Chiaotzu had worked so hard on fell away, revealing the results.

"It's gone…" Bra muttered, looking her arm over. It was completely healed. Then to the strange green man, she said, "Thank you."

The guardian smiled, and stood back up.

"We're very grateful for your hospitality, Dende." Gohan said.

"No problem." Dende grinned, always happy to be of service to the real protectors of his planet.

"So, I suspect you already know what's been going on?" Gohan continued.

"Yes." Piccolo answered, striding over to his former pupil. "We've been sensing all the events from up here."

"Then do you have any information for us?"

"Yeah like, why is it that all the humans are against us all of a sudden?" Goten added.

"It all started four days ago when I sensed something strange entering our atmosphere." Dende began. And so his story was recounted for the hybrids to hear. None of them knew quite what to make of it, but at least now they knew to prepare themselves for another battle. Whatever was out there turning people against them and taking out Saiyans one by one would soon be brought to justice.

The fatigue began to set in soon after Dende finished, and Mr. Popo prepared rooms for them to rest. They all thanked Dende again and again, and gratefully ate their fill from a large meal prepared for them. Then they went to their rooms and slept, finally feeling safe for the first time in three days.

* * *

Three days… three freaking days… Vegeta was just about to crack. Death had never seemed so friendly or as merciful as it did now. 

He had NEVER gone this long without food. His stomach rumbled constantly. He hadn't the will or strength to move. He felt he had barely enough energy left to lift his head up for one more desperate glance out the porthole.

And then he saw it… a planet! Right in front of him!

"Computer! Identify that planet!" Vegeta cried, a tingle of hope spreading through him.

A few beeps and whirs later, _"Planet unknown."_

"A lot of help you are…" Vegeta muttered, before asking, "Is the atmosphere breathable?"

"_Affirmative."_ The computer responded. _"Atmosphere contains sufficient molecules necessary for respiration, as well as 20 unknown solid particles."_

"Unknown what?" Vegeta wondered aloud. That was a new one.

He glanced out the porthole again, only to see it was not quite centered on the planet anymore.

"No…" Vegeta breathed in disbelief, watching as his pod began drifting right by the planet, his only chance for survival. He had to make it into that gravitational pull, but the pod showed no signs of changing its slow, drifting course. Thinking quickly, Vegeta searched around his limited space, but found nothing of help.

Was this seriously the only choice he had…?

Looking back at the planet so as to check his aim, Vegeta extended both palms precisely 180 degrees away from it, and concentrated a good portion of his energy.

"Here goes nothing!" He cried, shooting a long, powerful yellow beam right through the side of his pod, propelling him closer and closer to the atmosphere. He glanced over his shoulder toward his goal, just in time to see the porthole crack, then shatter.

"_DANGER… DANGER…"_ The computer chanted in his ear. But he paid no attention. _"Complete loss of pressure… Oxygen level now at 50 … DANGER… DANGER…"_

"Great…" Vegeta muttered, putting more power into his blast. Now he was losing air.

"_Oxygen level 30..."_

"SHUT UP!!!" Vegeta bellowed through the roar of his blast. How close was he? He couldn't tell any more.

"… _15..."_

He was no longer listening.

_Please… please be enough…_

"… _5..."_

A deafening roar filled the prince's ears, as he watched the metallic sphere fall apart around him. The entire control panel burst into pieces, showering him with glass and steel that sliced his flesh. The cockpit shook apart underneath him, and it wasn't long before the whole pod just gave up… and exploded.

As he was cast out into icy nothingness through the scraps of metal and smoke, a flurry of fragmented thoughts rushed through his head…

_So cold… no air… can't breathe…_

The prince finally broke off his ki blast, unable to keep it up a second longer. He felt lightheaded and struggled to hold on to his thoughts. His world began to darken.

He couldn't make it. Was this really the end? Was this how he was going to die? Why did it have to end like this? He hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye to his son, or tell his daughter that he loved her.

... ... ... ... And what of his wife? ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... What about Bulma? ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... He had treated her like dirt and never apologized. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... He would die ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... without telling her... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... how he really felt... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... that he was sorry... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... so sorry... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

His eyesight finally faded, and he fell down...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... down...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... d

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... o

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... w

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... n

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... into the darkness.

* * *

Sutsuki: Yay for textual visualization!! It just wouldn't work without the periods. Without them everything would be on the left and it would look more like an attempt to waste space. But it kind of makes for an interesting twist, right? The periods really bring out just how much effort it started to take Vegeta to even put together a fragment of a thought. If you liked, tell me please! Reviewing is good for the soul!! 


	9. Strange Awakening

Chapter 9: Strange Awakenings

Pan awoke to find she was well rested and full of energy. The only problem was it was dark and there were no windows in her room. She could faintly remember being led here by Mr. Popo, but hadn't cared to check out her surroundings at all. Now she found she had slept all through the light hours, and was left stranded in an unfamiliar darkness. Rising from her bed, she groped around, feeling for the wall. Eventually her hand rested on a cold brass doorknob. She carefully opened the door and felt her way through the long, dark hallway. Was it just her imagination, or was it actually getting darker? She thought she saw something moving a ways down the corridor. A wave of cold sent a shiver down her spine.

"H- hello?" Pan called shakily. No reply. She drew her hands up to her chest and fumbled warily on. Squinting through the darkness, she tried to make out familiar shapes. A floorboard creaked behind her. She whirled around, but could see nothing. "Who's there?" She asked softly. Still no answer. She clamped her hands over her mouth, suppressing the whimpers that were trying to escape.

'_This is ridiculous!'_ She thought. '_Why am I getting so scared?_' She backed up, keeping her eyes fixed on the spot the noise had come from. _'I can't… I can't control it!' _Her legs shaking and heart pounding, Pan was just about ready to turn and run.

But as soon as she pivoted on her heels to do so, she ran smack into something… or rather someone.

"Pan? What's wrong?"

Pan looked up to see Trunks's serene blue eyes shining down on her.

"T- Trunks!" Pan stuttered, trying to mask her fear. "N- nothing's wrong! I was just trying to find the…"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied timidly.

"I can feel you trembling."

Pan realized that up until now she had been pressing up against him, partly for protection, but mostly because…

She pushed herself away quickly, fixing her eyes on the floor.

"I… I don't like the dark, okay?" She admitted stubbornly, deeply hoping that he couldn't see her blushing.

Trunks smiled in understanding. "That's all right, Pan. I used to be afraid of the dark too."

"Who says I'm afraid of it? I just don't like it, that's all." Pan retorted hotly.

"Okay, whatever." He grinned, seeing right through her bluff. "In any case, would you like to know how I got over my fear?"

Pan didn't respond, but instead merely let an expression of interest appear on her face.

"It was something my dad told me once." Trunks continued. "It's not really the darkness that we fear, but the unknown. We are afraid of what we can't see with our eyes. But you and I are special. We don't always need our eyes. We can sense things out instead. When you were fumbling around in the dark, your fear overtook you, and you couldn't think straight enough to figure out I was the only one around. Do you understand?"

Pan nodded. "Kind of… But I wasn't scared!"

Trunks laughed. "Okay, Pan. Oh, and here's a little trick. Close your eyes."

Pan did so, feeling a little foolish. "I don't get it. It's already dark, so there's barely any difference."

"Exactly." Trunks grinned. "You see? The only difference is you know exactly what you will see when you close your eyes. Your sense of sight becomes unreliable if you're overcome by fear. Understand?"

Pan opened her eyes and nodded. Suddenly she heard footsteps coming down the corridor. She looked behind Trunks, trying to make out a shape. The fear swelled in her gut again.

"Close you eyes, Pan." Trunks said, stepping behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Now what do you see?"

Pan complied and sensed out the approaching figure. Sure enough, her fear diminished immediately as she sensed who it was. She opened her eyes again, now clearly able to see where her father was.

"There you two are." Gohan said. "Dende and Mr. Popo have some good news for us. Follow me."

As Gohan turned his back on them, Pan fell into step with Trunks at her side. Their hands brushed lightly against each other as they went. Without thinking, Pan let her fingers entwine with his. They both couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Vegeta awoke… wait, he was awake? He sat up quickly to find himself lying on solid ground. Had he died? No, he had been to Other World before, and this certainly wasn't it. He looked around. All he could see for miles was a barren desert- a wasteland.

"Where… am I?" He wondered aloud, trying to stand. But a sharp pain in his forehead made him dizzy and he collapsed back down. He put a hand to it, but it hurt to touch. When he looked at his hand again, he saw it was stained with blood. His head was bleeding. Apparently that was what he had landed on when he fell. There was also a fairly large gash on his left shoulder. He still found it hard to believe he was still alive. He was sure it had been all over when the ship had exploded and he was cast out into space. But yet here he was, alive in the middle of some unfamiliar world. Did this place even have life on it? If not, he was in trouble. He hadn't the strength to fly, so walking was the only option. He had to find water… food… or at least some shade from this awful heat. But it was difficult. The gravity was definitely higher than earth's, but by how much he did not know. And the air- it was miraculous it was even breathable- was so thin and full of dust from the ground. So this was what the computer had meant by '20 solid particles'. Sure, it was breathable, but barely.

And so, tearing off a strip of his pant leg to cover his nose and mouth, Vegeta stood up slowly, swaying on his feet for a moment before steadying himself and looking around. Everything appeared the same on all sides of him. Well, he certainly couldn't stay here, so he randomly picked a direction and began walking, his right hand clasping the wound on his left shoulder, hoping he would get somewhere.

* * *

"This is it." Dende said, leading the hybrids into a dimly lit chamber.

"What's it?" Pan asked, squinting through the darkness.

"Popo, lights please." Dende called.

The lights flickered on to reveal a large stone room with gold carvings of the dragon Shenron snaking above the column-lined doorway. In the middle of the room was a large machine lined with what looked like nine multicolored strobe lights.

"This is the transportation room. I believe your father is familiar with it from when he trained here under the previous Kami."

"Wow, what's it do?" Pan asked, examining the machine. True to their mother's heritage, Trunks and Bra pushed her aside to gawk at the piece of technology for themselves.

Dende laughed. "This machine allowed the previous Kami to travel all around the world. I have yet to try it out myself." He turned to his assistant. "Start it up, Mr. Popo."

The genie nodded and began pressing a series of buttons on the control panel. The Briefs children watched in awe over his shoulder.

"Please stand over there with the others." Popo instructed calmly. Disappointed, the two backed off.

"So where are we going?' Goten asked.

"Well," Dende explained, "Piccolo and I have been meditating on the invader's energy for some time now, and we were finally able to pinpoint his location. Using this machine, Popo will transport you to where we last sensed him this morning. It's on a small island to the east of the Southern Continent."

"Wait… we're going to fight him? Right now?" Pan asked nervously.

"Hey Pan, is that fear in your voice?" Trunks teased.

"No, of course not!!" She exclaimed.

"Sure, just like in the dark."

"Shut up!" She hissed.

"We'll only go when everyone is ready." Gohan stated.

"I'm good." Goten said.

"Me too." Bra echoed.

Trunks nodded in agreement.

"Pan?" Gohan asked. "What about you?"

Pan hesitated before putting on a brave face and nodding.

"All right then." Dende smiled, retrieving a small sack from his robe. "Here's a gift from Korin. He's been working hard growing these for you, but I'm afraid they're still not growing very well." He handed the bag of senzu to Gohan before stepping back with Mr. Popo. The guardian pressed a final button on the control panel, bringing the strobe lights to life. They shined their luminescence to the far reaches of the room before straying in all different directions.

"Good luck, you guys!" They heard Dende call, but though he was right in front of them he seemed so much farther away. The sights and sounds of the lookout faded, leaving the five in complete whiteness. Then as quickly as their surroundings had gone, they were replaced by new ones. A bright blue sky beamed overhead, and the mighty sound and smell of the ocean before them roared in welcome. The dancing lights slowly faded, and were replaced by trees, clouds, and sand.

"Awesome, the beach!!" Pan exclaimed. "We couldn't have asked for a better place to look for an alien."

"Hold on, Pan." Gohan said. "We're not here on vacation. We have to be on our guard. That thing could be anywhere."

"At least we know it's _been_ here." Goten pointed to the jungle before them. "The trees are blue!"

Everyone turned around and allowed their mouths to hang open as they gaped at the sight. Sure enough, every single leaf, vine, and bush was pale blue.

"How… do you think it did that?" Bra wondered aloud.

"I don't know… Let's set up camp for the night." Trunks proposed, sensing fear of the unknown welling up in the others. "We won't be able to hold a candle to this guy if we're not well-rested."

"What? But it feels like we just woke up!" Pan huffed.

"He's right, Pan." Goten agreed, forcing his eyes away from the eerie sight.

So the decision was made, much to Pan's disagreement, to find the alien in the morning when there was enough light to search by. No one was comfortable with the idea of sleeping on the same little island as a being that could change something's natural color and render the greatest fighter in the universe into a vegetative state. But anywhere else would have been unsafe, as the humans were still looking for them.

* * *

The prince of Saiyans meanwhile was still roaming the vast desert on this unknown planet. How long had it been? It could have been months for all he knew. The sun never seemed to set. And the scenery wasn't much to look at either. He could have been walking around in circles, and would never have known. He was so tired, his throat so parched, that his mind was beginning to play tricks on him. Several times now he thought he had seen Kakarot laughing at him from a distance. Angered, Vegeta had rushed toward his rival, only to find nothing, just more sand, and a little less energy to sustain him.

By now he was completely exhausted, and on the brink of collapsing in defeat. But somehow he had lasted much longer than he should have. Something had kept him going. Something was driving him forward toward an unseen goal. Perhaps it was his pride; there was no way the Prince of all Saiyans would die alone and helpless in a place he did not even know. He always foresaw his end to be one of honor and commemoration. Or perhaps it was his hunt for revenge on the moron who had tried to do away with him like that. Well, whoever the idiot was, he was going to pay dearly. One reason he had not even considered though was the love for his family. Deep down, he knew they were in danger of meeting the same fate as Kakarot or himself, and there was currently nothing he could do about it. One thing was for certain; the prince had every intention of making it back to Earth as soon as possible no matter what he had to endure.

Battered, bruised, and bleeding, Vegeta trudged on feeling weaker by the second. He knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer. He would need to find a place to rest and regain some of his strength. But there was no place to rest, no shade to protect him from this awful heat that burned his flesh. He finally felt exhaustion sweep over him, and crushed him into the sand like a heavy weight. He could no longer move… it was over…

* * *

Sutsuki: Oh no!! Is this it for Veggie-chan?! Hee hee, of course not, but the suspense still kills, doesn't it? See y'all next chapter! And reviews are awesome!! 


	10. Old Friends, New Enemies

Chapter 10: Old Friends, New Enemies

The Saiyan Prince again awoke to find he was not yet dead. But this time, he found he was lying on his stomach in total darkness. The scorching heat had disappeared completely and he was actually relieved to find it was rather cool.

Gruff muttering voices soon informed Vegeta that he was not at all alone. His eyes had not yet adjusted to the lack of light, so he relied on his ears. There were a few of them… five at least. He tried to move, but found he was completely incapable of it. Looking down, he could just barely make out the outline of tight bondage wires wrapped around his ankles and strapping his arms to his sides. His wrists were bound tightly behind his back. Apparently his captors had not hesitated to make certain he would not pose a threat to them, and then had proceeded to toss him into a stone corner. He soon found he was shirtless and his gloves and boots were gone as well. He also took notice that his wounds had been cleaned and dressed. Whatever had found him wanted him alive, of that he was sure.

At last, his eyes began to make out the moving shapes on the other side of the room. The figures were tall and bulky, and he could tell from the way they lumbered about that they weren't very intelligent. They were all gathered around in a little circle, apparently too occupied to notice he was conscious again. He listened hard, catching fragments of their conversation.

"Well, 'e don't seem ta 'ave nuttin' _valuable_." Said one. "We searched da wreck, an' dere weren' nuttin' there wort' our trubble."

"Neverdeless, the boss'll wanna take a look at 'im. Ya know, jes' ta make sure 'e ain't dangerous er nuttin'." Grunted another.

"Why wait fer da boss? I say we kill 'im now!"

"Nah, no use doin' dat now. Who knows? We could 'ave some use fer 'im."

"Or we could 'ave a lit'le fun while we wait."

At this, the hoard of figures turned toward their captive, thoughts of excruciating torture going through their heads. As his eyes focused on their faces, Vegeta had the immediate impression that he was looking at a bunch of oversized pigs. Their gruff, dirty faces were abnormally pudgy in the cheek areas, and their noses were flattened up against their faces, much like that of a boar. All pairs of beady black eyes stared down at him, obviously surprised that he was awake. Vegeta lay helplessly on his side, watching them each in turn look him over and occasionally kick him in the gut just to get a reaction. Since his hands were tied behind his back and his energy still fairly low, there was little more he could do to protect himself than flinch and desperately attempt to squirm away.

"Alrigh', tha's enough, ya sleezballs!" The apparent leader of the group, another pig-like creature nearly twice as strong as any of them, had entered the room. They automatically parted as he walked between them and stood before the captive prince, drawn up to his full height and staring down menacingly. "Ah, so 'es awake now, is 'e?" He grunted. "Oi you, what's yer name?"

Vegeta just stared at the creature, too lost in his own uncertainties to even comprehend what was said.

"Maybe 'e can't talk." One of his minions muttered.

"Fool, of course he can talk!"

Vegeta was nearly taken aback by the new voice coming from the doorway. The tone was clear and confident, and sounded much more intelligent. The foul creatures surrounding him whirled around as best they were able, and backed away from the newcomer, bowing slightly. Now Vegeta was given a clear view of what had spoken, and he half wished he was still blind. Before him stood a figure considerably shorter than the others, but equally as menacing. It had pale blue skin, wild, sandy brown hair, and a deep scar over his right eye. The other eye, however, was a creepy shade of icy purple. He stared down at the bound Saiyan prince, chuckling to himself.

"Well done. You pigs actually did something right for once." He motioned to his minions. "Now leave us."

The pig-like creatures bowed clumsily, and filed out of the room.

"So, Vegeta. It's been a while, hasn't it?" The life form smirked.

"Hmph…" Vegeta said, retaining his princely haughtiness. "You must have me confused with someone else. I haven't seen you before in my life."

"Ahh, that's where you're wrong, Vegeta. You may not remember me, but I could never get the image of you out of my head even if I tried!" He stepped a little closer to the prince, looking him over. "Hmm… yes, I suppose it was too long ago for you to remember." The man said coldly. "Well, then allow me to fill you in. Exactly fifty years ago, my home planet was under attack by a powerful and merciless warrior. Though he was only a small boy, the extent of his power far surpassed that of my people." Now the figure squatted down to Vegeta's level, looking him straight in the eye. "I escaped the destruction with one other, who is currently on your precious planet, Earth. He and I have sworn revenge against any survivor of the Saiyan race, the people responsible for the eradication of all we knew."

"Why have you brought me here?" Vegeta questioned, not losing his cool for a second.

"Why Vegeta, you are the one who destroyed my home planet of Tanaka all those years ago. So naturally, while my colleague takes care of all the Saiyans inhabiting Earth, I will extract my sweet revenge against you!" At this point, the Tanakian began to laugh triumphantly.

"You coward!" Vegeta shouted. "Untie me and fight me like a man!"

"Now, now, Prince Vegeta." The blue-skinned warrior shook a finger at his captive. "Since when do Saiyans preach fair play? I'd say you're in no position to be barking orders."

Vegeta held his tongue and sighed back into composure. "Then can I at least know the name of my adversary?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." The man sighed. "Very well, my name is Michio."

"And may I ask the name of this planet where my adversary, Michio, resides?"

"Hmph… This is Sabaku-sei, the desert planet. And you'd better get used to the hot weather around here; I'm afraid you really can't expect much else."

Vegeta stared up at this new rival, Michio, unmoved.

"Hmph… Still ignorant, eh? Well, maybe a few more days down here in the dark will teach you some manners, prince." And with that, he left Vegeta curled up on the stone-cold floor, taking with him the only source of light in the room: a single candle in the middle of a small, circular table.

"Michio…" Vegeta mumbled as the light left the room, implanting the name and face in his memory, so as to remember to repay the man for his _kind_ hospitality before he left.

* * *

Night had fallen on the Saiyans' temporary paradise. Trunks had produced some emergency capsules containing tents, supplies, and food. A campfire had been built and the tents set up around it in a semicircle facing the water. Now the sun had set completely behind the western horizon and everyone had gathered around the fire. 

"Now I want everyone to get a good night's rest tonight." Gohan said. "Tomorrow we search this island high and low for whatever it is trying to pick us off."

"Shouldn't someone keep watch, bro?" Goten asked. "I mean, we can't exactly feel safe knowing this guy is so close."

"I was just about to suggest that." Gohan replied. "Any takers for the first shift?"

"I will." Trunks raised his hand.

"I'll help!" Pan offered, but Gohan shook his head.

"You need your rest, Pan."

"Aw, Papa…" she sighed.

"I'll take the next shift," said Goten.

"It's settled then." Gohan stood, said goodnight, and disappeared into his tent.

A while later, Pan said goodnight and retreated back to her tent. She settled into her sleeping bag and pulled back a tent flap to let in some air. She noticed Goten and Bra still sitting there, quietly talking. His arm was resting around her shoulders and though their backs were to her, Pan could tell they were cuddling.

She smiled to herself, happy for them, but at the same time she suppressed a hint of jealousy. She wished it was her sitting there with Trunks' arm around her. Though she would never openly admit it, of course…

Her eyes popped open after what felt like only a moment. She looked around outside to find the fire long since out and everyone in bed save for Trunks, still on his watch shift.

She felt wide awake. There was no way she could go back to sleep now. Before she could stop herself, Pan rose to her feet and made her way toward the campfire. As the outline of Trunks's back came into full detail, a devious plan etched itself into her mind. She would sneak up and surprise him, clamping her arms around his neck.

But no, said another voice in her head. Trunks was on guard, and would take anything unexpected as an attack. Plus, his senses were on high alert, and she doubted she could get to him undetected.

"Hey, Trunks," she greeted casually, taking a seat next to him in the cool sand.

"How mature of you." Trunks smiled, catching Pan of guard. "I really thought you were going to try and jump me."

"Oh! Well..." Pan reddened and feigned interest in the lapping waves a few yards off. "I'm not some bratty little kid, you know."

"Yes, I know." Trunks chuckled.

Pan hadn't planned to get into such an awkward conversation. She was surprised enough that he hadn't told her to get back to bed straight off. She half-wished she had stayed where she was.

The wind off the sea picked up suddenly, forming goosebumps on Pan's arms. She shivered involuntarily, catching Trunks's attention.

"Here, you must be getting cold."

Before Pan could react, Trunks scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his hand radiating warmth onto the bare skin of her arm. She instantly blushed and her eyes widened in surprise. She stole a side glance up at Trunks, who thankfully was searching the brush for signs of movement.

She liked this. A tiny, suppressed voice urged her to take things just a little further, to push her luck and see what might happen. Slowly she relaxed her tense shoulders, allowing herself to lean into him, her head finding the perfect spot in the crook of his neck. She watched as Trunks's gaze wavered, trying to see what she was doing. But it was just for a second, then he was back to the jungle. She sighed and nuzzled into his neck just to get a reaction. She felt him tense and gulp uneasily. Well, he had started it. She raised her head slowly, inching closer to his face. He couldn't take his eyes off her, as if he were under her spell. She smirked inwardly at the thought. Her mouth open ever so slightly, she faintly whispered his name as her lips barely brushed against his.

"P- Pan," Trunks finally stuttered, scrambling to his feet. "I... I think it's about time for Goten's shift. I'll just..."

"Trunks," Pan called softly, regret evident in her voice. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have... please don't leave..."

Trunks stood dead in his tracks, frantically looking for what to say. He slowly turned, meeting her confused, shimmering eyes. She couldn't possibly know just how pretty she looked at that moment. Firmly biting his lower lip, Trunks returned to her side.

"I'm sorry. I suppose I was just a little nervous. Kind of childish of me, huh?" Trunks smiled. Pan giggled warmly. "But I can't help it," Trunks continued. "You do that to me, Pan." He took her hands within his and gazed into her eyes with the utmost unrelenting seriousness. "You look at me and I freeze up. You touch me and I shiver. You laugh and my insides do somersaults. Believe me when I say I would have loved to kiss you just now."

Pan's eyes were wide with disbelief. Her brain was working overtime just to keep comprehending what he was saying.

_He... he wanted to kiss me?_

"But," Trunks continued, "I just don't know if I could... control myself if we became... involved. You're still so young, Pan. And I'm-"

"I don't care!" Pan heard the words leave her mouth, but couldn't recall planning to say them. "I don't understand exactly how, but I couldn't care less about our ages. I... I love you, Trunks. I can't remember a time before loving you."

"Pan," Trunks held her shoulders firmly. "Those are very serious words. Only say them if you really mean them, and only to the person you want to spend the rest of your life with."

Pan went silent. She knew her words were true. But she wished Trunks would simply return her feelings. Nothing was ever simple. She lowered her gaze.

"Trunks..." she whispered. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Please believe me."

"Of course I believe you. I just can't believe what's happening." Trunks relaxed his hold on her shoulders and took on a dazed expression. "I always thought you'd freak out and tell your father if I said anything."

"Well don't worry," Pan smirked, relieved for the lightened mood. "I'm not telling anyone... for now."

Trunks gave her an endearing smile and leaned in, softly capturing her lips in his.

Pan could care less what her father thought of the two of them. All that mattered was this moment that she had dreamed of for so long.

* * *

How long had it been? Hours… days… weeks… All concept of time had long since left the prince. The constant pitch-blackness of the room was starting to take effect on Vegeta's brain. He couldn't see, couldn't hear… For all he knew, he could have gone both blind and deaf, and hadn't even noticed. But he soon found that neither was true, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and saw light come flooding into the room.

"Get him up." He heard Michio's gruff voice. "Untie him."

Vegeta felt two pairs of strong hands hoist him to his tired feet, and rip the bonds off his wrists and ankles.

"Why, good morning, my prince." Michio mocked. "How have you been?"

Vegeta didn't answer. He hadn't had any food since leaving Earth, and could barely muster the strength to stand, let alone speak.

"Now Prince, I've been thinking about what you said to me at our last encounter." Michio continued. "And I figured you were right about my being a coward for tying you up like that, which is why I'm now giving you the chance to fight me fair and square."

Vegeta's groan was barely audible.

"Well then, come on." Michio smirked. "I know you'd like nothing more than to kill me right now."

Vegeta again said nothing.

"Hmm… I see you still haven't learned any manners." Michio remarked, not hesitating to deliver a swift punch to the prince's gut. Vegeta fell back and writhed in pain. "Come on! Fight back, weakling!! Kill me!!" Michio sent a kick to the left side of the prince's head, knocking him against the far wall. Vegeta tried to get up. He could sense that this creature's power level was nothing compared to his, but he had just lost too much strength. There was nothing he could do except try to defend himself.

This beat-down continued for a good half an hour before Michio decided he was finished.

Vegeta was barely conscious enough to comprehend what Michio was now telling the two pig-creatures behind him. He sat slumped against the wall, bloody and bruised, listening to the hum of voices that seemed so far off. He suddenly felt a hand lift up his chin and attempt to pour something cold down his throat. Vegeta nearly choked when he began to understand. Michio had ordered his men to give him food and water. And on top of that, one of them began to clean and dress his wounds. When his head again became clear, Vegeta searched the room for Michio, but he had apparently already left.

Why was he showing kindness to an enemy? Who exactly was this Michio?

As the pig-like creatures finished with him and left him again in the dark, Vegeta was suddenly overtaken by sleep, and although in pain, drifted off as easily as if he had been lying next to his wife.

* * *

Sutsuki: Hoorah!! Sorry for the longer wait, people, but posting speed has finally caught up with writing speed, thus I'm all for a writing crackdown to finish up this story before summer's end. Considering my days left before college now number less than 20, I beg you all to wish me luck. And to review. I don't know how long it'll be, once this fic is done, before I can post again.Behind the Names Addition:

Sabaku: Means 'desert' in Japanese. This is the name of the desert planet Vegeta finds himself stranded on. Sabaku-sei is much larger than Earth, thus explaining the higher gravity.


	11. Tension

Chapter 11: Tension

When Vegeta awoke, his first thoughts were of how to get home. He knew Michio might be coming down again to have some more fun, so he planned to be ready. Immediately, he began formulating a plan to escape. His hands were again tied behind his back, so he had a bit of trouble sitting up. Once this small task was completed, Vegeta began to twist his wrists around vigorously until they were positioned so his palms faced each other. Then he focused his ki just enough so he could form a small ball of energy in his hands.

Vegeta smirked to himself when he felt the heat emitting from his hands. Yes, his strength had returned much faster than he had expected, and perhaps faster than Michio had expected as well. That was Saiyan recovery for you. But using his ki to neutralize his bondage would only foil what little chance he had of escaping. He would wait until Michio returned. He would wait until he was untied, and allow Michio to think he was still too weak to fight back. Then he would spring it on him, knock him senseless, and then get out of this miserable place and find a ship.

Just as Vegeta predicted, Michio soon entered the dark room and smirked evilly at the bound prince. He again ordered his guards to remove the ropes from his wrists and ankles, and began extracting more of his revenge. This time, Vegeta feigned weakness as Michio began launching punches. Vegeta swayed ever so slightly each time, discretely reducing the damage taken. Of course, to make the whole situation more dramatic, he had to let Michio have a little fun first. He let the Tanakian play around a little before he started getting serious.

Michio laughed as he again knocked Vegeta to the ground.

"I hope you're feeling every bit of this!" He smirked. "This is for my family, my race, and my home… everything you destroyed that day! I plan to savor every ounce of my revenge, every painful cry you emit. I'll enjoy every last drop!" He again knocked the prince against the wall, and faintly noticed how easily he was able to stand back up. "Heh… That's more like it. I knew you were stronger than that. After all, you are one of Frieza's top lackeys. Frieza… Hah! That tyrant lizard is no longer of any threat to me. If beating you is this easy, he shouldn't be much tougher!"

At this point, Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle softly. He wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and straightened up. Michio's fun was over.

"Oh really? If that's all the strength you've got, then I must have overestimated you." He smirked. "Frieza is long gone. Even if he was still around, I doubt you could hold your own against him for five minutes."

"You lie!" Michio stuttered, taken aback by Vegeta's sudden recovery.

"Have you been living like a hermit in this Kai-forsaken wasteland?" Vegeta said, more sternly now. "You are far behind in the times, fool. Frieza met his defeat at the hands of a low-class Saiyan warrior currently residing on Earth. And the one responsible for his final demise… is my own son."

The prince began to advance on the frightened Tanakian. "I personally find it ironic that both times he was defeated by the one thing he feared above all else. Do you know what it was that made even Frieza tremble with fear?"

Michio couldn't find the words to answer.

"I'll show you." He said, his familiar golden aura forming around him. With a blinding flash, his hair burst into radiant streaks of gold, and his eyes changed from charcoal-black to steely-aqua. The room was filled with blinding light that sent Michio cowering into the far corner and his pig-minions into a frenzied daze. "He was afraid of the remaining Saiyans under his control because he feared one of them would learn how to become a Super Saiyan and challenge him." Vegeta continued. "Well, that's exactly how he died in the end; at the hands of a Super Saiyan! But that was long ago." He further advanced on Michio, a malicious grin spreading across his face. "And I have long since mastered, and even surpassed the state of Super Saiyan."

They all became fearful of his presence as he stood there in the center of the room smirking. The pig-like creatures soon became frantic and confused and, not knowing what else to do, attacked the Saiyan prince.

"No, don't!!" Michio tried to yell, but it was of no use. Vegeta was too fast for eyes to follow, and in a split-second all life left the poor, hideous creatures, as one by one they fell to the floor dead. Taking no pity, Vegeta proceeded to neutralize their remains before turning back to Michio.

"P- Please… you're making a mistake!" Michio stuttered desperately. "If you kill me, you'll n- never get off of Sabaku-sei!"

"Go on." Vegeta said, his open hand poised and ready to blast Michio's face.

"Y- You see, I'm the only one with access to the transport vessels. Without me, you'd h- have no way of starting up the engines."

Vegeta lowered his hand, and instead roughly hoisted the trembling Tanakian to his feet. "Lead the way, then." He scowled, pushing his new prisoner along. Michio thanked him through a series of unintelligible stutters, and scurried up the stony staircase and down the maze of darkened hallways.

Upon reaching the loading dock, Vegeta gazed around at the number of strange ships.

"Which one is the fastest?" He asked Michio. The Tanakian pointed down to the end of the row, where a scruffy, battered little ship stood. Vegeta wrinkled his nose in disgust. Funny how the fastest ship was also the oldest. The metal coating had been badly dulled, and the painted lettering was chipped in several places. Vegeta stared at these letters for a second.

_HAYACHIZU_

He broke down the name in his mind. Haya meant quick. Chizu translated to 'a thousand storks', which implied longevity. So, in short, this run-down old ship was named 'one thousand quick, enduring storks'. Perhaps it meant 'one thousand quick lives'? That thought sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't imagine such a crappy ship being the fastest one among all the other perfectly good-looking vessels.

"If you lie, it will mean your life." Vegeta warned, powering down. Michio assured him that this was the right one, and so Vegeta, not knowing what else to do, climbed aboard.

"You're coming too." He snapped, dragging the frightened Tanakian by the scruff of his neck. They entered the control room, where Vegeta practically threw Michio at the control panel. "I assume you know the coordinates?" He asked. Michio nodded quickly and typed the same series of commands into the ship's computer that he had for Kesshin. The little rocket sputtered to life, and the sound of the whirring engines filled the air. Michio put the ship into launch, and suggested the prince sit down and buckle up. Vegeta hesitated for a second before obliging. A door in the cave ceiling gave way to reveal the hot, intimidating glare of the sun. Vegeta squinted and shielded his eyes from the light. He had been in the dark for too long.

The engines revved excitedly as the vessel began hovering straight up and out the little door. Once clear of the cave, the ship, all in a sudden burst, shot forward at blinding speed, steeply angled toward the edge of Sabaku-sei's thick atmosphere.

Vegeta finally felt he could breathe a bit easier. At last, he was on his way.

Now he just had to find some food.

* * *

Kesshin couldn't quite understand. He had these earthlings searching around the clock for the remaining Saiyans, and yet none of them could have simply told him they were on his island. 

The Tanakian gazed at the peaceful little campsite before him, cursing the Kais for his bad luck. Dawn was quickly approaching the little island, exposing any last hope he had of staying hidden. They would be out looking for him soon enough. Kesshin sensed out their numbers: five of them.

They were all here. His five remaining targets had collected in his territory, and were now sleeping defenselessly.

Kesshin was just about to step out of the brush when he caught sight of one of the Saiyans marching back from the water's edge, evidently attempting to keep himself awake with the cold ocean water. Kesshin swore under his breath. This would have been the perfect opportunity to take them all out. But the fact that even one of them was on alert had foiled his plan completely. He had been lucky the last time, and even then he had been on the verge of panicking and running away. Kesshin knew despite his years of training under Michio, he was no match for a Saiyan, or even one of these halflings in a fair fight. Not at the moment, anyway.

Kesshin planned to return later. For now he would find a secluded spot deep in the jungle and gather his energy. He felt like a real Tanakian warrior at that moment, going to gather with his fellow warriors at the meditation circle on the eve of battle, as was tradition. He imagined the scene in his head as he entered a small clearing. It would be late evening and he would feel full and well-rested after spending the day with his family. He and his wife would have just finished putting the children to sleep, and were walking to the gathering in silence, side by side. As the clearing would near, his wife would bid him goodbye and head back to the house, for the meditation site was only to be seen by those going into battle. Kesshin would step into the clearing and be warmly greeted by his friends and neighbors as he took his seat in the circle. As Kesshin breathed deeply, settling into his meditation state, he glanced around his imaginary circle, and sure enough, there was Michio on the other side smiling proudly. Kesshin smiled back and closed his eyes, forgetting completely that the clearing was empty.

* * *

Goten returned to his post, his face cold with ocean water. He hadn't gotten much sleep, even though Trunks had been late in waking him for his turn. The sun was perhaps halfway over the horizon. It was time to start.

He poked his head inside Gohan's tent, and only needed to utter his name once before his brother sat up and hurriedly dressed. Goten could tell from the dark circles under his brother's eyes that the impending encounter and inevitable battle with their alien foe had kept him up as well.

"Wake the others," Gohan wearily grunted. Goten left without a reply, suddenly feeling a bit agitated with his brother. He opened Trunks's tent and barked for him to get up. When this failed to rouse him, Goten sent a firm kick to his side and stormed off for the next tent.

"What was that for?!" Trunks yelled after him, his frumpled head peering out and his eyes squinting the rest of his face into an annoyed frown.

"That's for falling asleep at your post!" Goten yelled back.

"What? I didn't fall-"

"Then explain why you were two hours late in waking me up for my shift!"

Trunks could only stare. He couldn't have been more grateful for Pan stumbling out of her tent at that very moment.

"Uncle Goten, could you keep it down?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"And why are you so tired? You got a full night's sleep!" he shot back. Pan couldn't answer. Of course she hadn't slept well; she and Trunks had stayed awake talking for well over an hour, and afterward she had been too excited to sleep. But she couldn't tell her uncle that. She couldn't tell anyone.

"Goten, stop it." Gohan had emerged from his tent, eyeing his brother crossly. "We're all tired, but arguing won't get us anywhere." He paused as Bra emerged from her tent to join them, throwing worried glances at Goten.

"We have work to do. Everyone spread out across the island and search high and low. We don't know what this thing looks like, so if you see anyting weird, flare your ki so everyone can find you. Pan and Bra, you two stick together and take the south side of the island. Trunks take the west, Goten the north, and I'll take the east. We'll meet back here in two hours. Ready? Go."

* * *

Sutsuki: Oh no, a fight among the group! Could lack of sleep mean the end of our heroes?! Stay tuned for the next action-packed chapter, review if you like, and get your eight hours!

A p.s. to you all: This weekend I leave for college. I don't know what kind of turn my schedule is going to take, but I assure you all, I will find time to bring this fic to a suitable end. Bear with me, and good luck to all in the upcoming school year!


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